Sunday, September 7, 2008
Recently I had an opportunity to see the movie “Kolekcionierė” by Kristina Buožytė which was awarded with the silver crane as the best Lithuanian movie of the year 2008.
The movie tells a story about a young and ordinary woman who loses her ability to feel after her father dies. She later finds out that she can experience feelings only when watching herself in videos. This is where the adventures start. She finds a guy who films her and helps her to create the first scenario. Different scenarios represent distinct emotions. She starts with the emotion that makes her laugh, she kisses a random bridegroom in front of everyone (including the bride) and finishes with something rather fierce like killing a dog by slamming a door on it. She watches the videos on the screen later and each time she gets a dose of feelings which make her laugh and cry, feelings which become like drugs to her.
The movie made me ponder upon people trying to boost the intensity of their emotional life by watching television. Movies, TV-series, reality shows endow us with emotions which can hardly be experienced in real life with such intensity. Once we get used to the vivid and diverse feelings aroused by the television, reality might seem not to provide the needed amount of positive emotions any longer. Then there is no easier solution than to sprawl out on the sofa and turn on the TV.
The movie is very different to the typical Hollywood production, on the contrary, it bears many properties of what I call a typical Lithuanian movie, which I don't admire so much either. Gloomy scenes, special kind of sad music, theatrical dialogues. However, what I discovered to be very exceptional to the typical was the occasionally emerging humor which made the viewers laugh at a sad movie. I would recommend this movie to everyone who likes non-commercial and European cinema.
It is also interesting that the movie was directed by a student of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater and was a graduation work for the Master Degree. Good job!
