Isabel Herguera’s feature debut was inspired by the 1905 fable by Rokeya Hossain, which imagines the utopian country called Ladyland, where women hold sway and men stay at home. Here we follow a young woman as she deals with her place in the world, discovers the original book and goes on a quest to find a real world Ladyland.
This is a cinematic work of art of the highest order. The differing look of the film will remind you of the work of some the world's greatest artists as well as the work of animators such as Lotte Reininger, Cartoon Saloon, Marjane Satrapi, Richard Williams and others, while at the same time giving all the borrows it's own slant that makes it something truly unique. Frankly the images and the story telling here are so unique that the referencing of other artists is merely an attempt at trying to explain the visual wonders contained inside.
What this film does visually will make you sit wide eyed and slack jawed at the beauty of it all.
AT the same time this is a film that I never fully emotionally connected to. Very much a film with a great deal on its mind, it often puts it's ideas ahead of it's feelings. This is a film that wants to win us with ideas more than it does emotion. I can't blame director Herguera she has a lot she wants to say, rightly so, but at the same time some of the emotion is lost. It's not fatal, but so much here is so good I wanted to love it not just like it.
My reservation aside, this is still a film you will want to see, especially on a big screen.
Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment