The beautiful language
Director FATMI Mounir
Countries France
Duration 990 min
Synopsis
The beautiful language is rich in text and images, but it is hard to read. The cut-up technique, popularised in William Burroughs' texts is applied here to the images, with fragments of fraught exchanges appearing in a non-linear fashion. The images are taken from L'enfant sauvage (“The Wild Child”), François Truffaut's 1970 film, based on the true story, from the end of the 18th century, of an “uncivilised” boy being taken in by a doctor and studied as a specimen of difference. The images chosen for The beautiful language show the child being measured, taught and tested. The film opens with images of the unkempt child having his face cleaned and his hair cut. The image is uncomfortable, the child unwilling to consent to this treatment – we see him screaming, although the sound is silenced and replaced by an ominous soundtrack. ( Caroline Rossiter)
The beautiful language is rich in text and images, but it is hard to read. The cut-up technique, popularised in William Burroughs' texts is applied here to the images, with fragments of fraught exchanges appearing in a non-linear fashion. The images are taken from L'enfant sauvage (“The Wild Child”), François Truffaut's 1970 film, based on the true story, from the end of the 18th century, of an “uncivilised” boy being taken in by a doctor and studied as a specimen of difference. The images chosen for The beautiful language show the child being measured, taught and tested. The film opens with images of the unkempt child having his face cleaned and his hair cut. The image is uncomfortable, the child unwilling to consent to this treatment – we see him screaming, although the sound is silenced and replaced by an ominous soundtrack. ( Caroline Rossiter)