For every film, a painting
by Mélody
Eighty-five year old Frederick Wiseman presents in the freshest way possible a 3h+ documentary on the “most diverse neighbourhood in the world”, New York’s Jackson Heights, where apparently 167 languages are being spoken, as we speak.
An eulogy to how equality is being formed and sustained in the middle of diversity. In Jackson Heights people live the communal life of a small village.
No commentary, only the voices of the people whose actions we’re witnessing:
Great simple motifs create perfect unity and pattern. Tens of static shots of people’s faces. Bypassing as simplistic and overtly literal someone’s portrait is foolish. The amount and quality of the information conveyed through shots like that is huge.
+ Tens of static shots of stands of food, of fruits, of flowers, of means of transportation, all shot in the brightest daylight possible, ignoring any golden hour rule. Clear, beautiful, evocative information.
Wiseman’s Jackson Heights feels like one big support group for all its people. Heart, stop jerking pls.
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