Monday 21 June 2010

Obselidia

Obselidia is a beautiful and moving film that was acclaimed at Sundance and is now on show at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (the next showing is at 9pm on Wednesday though it may have sold out). Set in Los Angeles, Death Valley and various museums it is visually stunning.

George is working on the Encyclopedia of Obsolete Things when he meets a cinema projectionist who charms him out of his secluded and nostalgic existence. Together they travel to Death Valley to meet a writer convinced that the world is about to end in the next twenty years.

It's a film about love, nostalgia for lost things and lost skills, discomfiture with the current throwaway society, the importance of bees and beekeeping, species loss and climate change. It's moving and thought provoking and sometimes very funny, though it would benefit from more subtlety in the dialogue.

To accompany the film there is a website of obsolete things, which you can look at here.

7 comments:

Howard BME said...

Were you there today? It would have been nice to have bumped into you. I have managed to get myself sufficiently organised to go to a few films in the festival this year. Obselidia was the second of them (I was hugely disappointed with yesterday’s Donkeys), and I agree entirely that it was a delightful film, so I second your recommendation. I think anyone who enjoys reading your blog is fairly likely to enjoy the film too.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Hi Howard, Yes I was there today! It would have been nice if we'd bumped into each other! Glad you enjoyed it too!

Hannah Stephenson said...

Thanks so much for this recommendation...it really speaks to me! I haven't heard of it until today when you mentioned it, so I'm really looking forward to seeing it.

Bill said...

Thanks for the tip. I'll keep an eye out for it.

RG said...

I am afraid to peek at the website - I might be there.

Interesting movie premise.

Caroline Gill said...

This sounds fascinating. I enjoyed the website.

Your fresh blogskin is lovely!

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

This sounds like a fun and interesting movie. I’ll be watching for it in my part of the world. I also really enjoyed the website of obsolete things.