Five: five short films of the sea

Imagine Italo Calvino's Mr Palomar (see 'what am I reading?' below) is given a video camera and sent off to the beach. This is what he would come up with. Abbas Karostami shot this film on hand held video cameras in five long takes. In film 1 the sea plays with a piece of wood. In film 2 we are on a promenade with lots of people walking past - interesting here how no-one stops to look at the sea, most people barely give it a second glance (or even a first glance) and only two people go down onto the beach - are we really all that alienated from the powerful force and presence of the sea? Film 3 is shot down on the beach, where a group of dogs are sitting by the ocean. The colours of the changing light on the water are beautiful and it is fascinating and restful to follow each wave as it comes towards us and breaks on the shore. Film 4 is the comedy break with a constant procession of ducks waddling across the screen at ever increasing speeds. Film 5 is pure abstract art as we watch the moon's reflection in the water as it is broken by ripples and clouds and then a storm. So - this is beautiful even if it does feel more like high quality video art than cinema.