QUICK AND DIRTY: LIVE FROM KARLOVY VARY

Collaborating with various artists, Daniel Zimmerman goes on a metaphysical deconstruction of the artist’s ego in this unique documentary. He presents 10 tableaux, each with the camera turning 360 degrees around a different setting. The film begins with the first tableau, showing a man throwing a wooden pole into the distance, as the camera slowly pans away over a scenic landscape near a housing development. The slowness of movement, and stillness of the scene, invites us to take in the details we are observing – lightning storms in the far distance, the sound of birds – before arriving back where we started, with the pole flying into the back of the man’s head.

It’s an abrupt and darkly funny end to the film’s introduction, which follows the theme of extraordinary things happening in seemingly mundane settings. The continuous loop sends the viewer into an almost meditative state, forcibly setting a pace that asks us to take in only what is happening right now, rather than speed up to any kind of conclusion. It is a catalyst for inward reflection, with many images of nature (fields, mist, desert) adding to the sense that we need to be alone with ourselves, opening consciousness in a way that few other films are capable. At it’s best, it’s quite moving, accessing universal parts of the human experience in a way that is deliberately outside of what most of us would expect from narrative.

As with most anthology films, however, there can be highs and lows. There are moments in this journey that seem ponderous more than thought-provoking. It is shot is in a similar format to his 2018 work Walden, which followed the journey of wood production and offered, in its own way, a narrative through line that isn’t as easily identified here. Of course, the point of the work is to take the viewer outside of their comfort zone, and dodging repetition is hardly a bad thing. Still, there are sections of the film that don’t come together quite as well as others.

Spheres defies expectation, or in deed analysis, which is difficult for a film review but will be a revelation for those looking for something truly different from their cinema experience. It feels best defined in one tableau, where a group of young people wearing jewels on their face are asked to take turns staring into each other’s eyes. Spheres asks you to look beneath the surface, and marvel at what begins to stare back.

Spheres premieres in the 58th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.