Taste the cloud: 35 Rhums Rendez-vous #3

by Ryland Walker Knight

Tried to tackle a lot with this new piece on Denis' new film. You can read it here. It may be a little abstract, but, then again, when you're talking Denis, that seems unavoidable. One of the ideas I did not explore quite fully therein is one that came to me riding a train: riding a train often feels like floating, or hovering, as trains are not ever quite connected to their tracks—or they are, but briefly, forever connecting to a new space. And, sure enough, from the first shot in 35 Rhums, Denis has us hovering on a train. What struck me further about the hovering metaphor to describe her "cloud style" (as I name it in the linked-to piece) is how this suggests the feeling of the diffuse nature that typifies her ability to surround an event, to envelop a feeling, without much concretion and yet less explication. Somehow, here, she turns this into an invitation to think about tactics over against the denial of L'intrus and its globular and, agreed, baffling-yet-beautiful arrangement.

Though most shows are sold out, do click here to buy your tickets to see the film. If you see me there, feel free to say, "Hi." I guarantee I'll be in a good mood.