Second Impressions

In “Second Impressions” I made a decision to impose on myself, and the film, severe formal limitations in order that I might concentrate on the creation of visual imagery possessing the inherent qualities and natural restrictions of the filmmaking process. The camera was to be fixed for the duration of the film; there was to be no suggestion of direct or implied narrative connections or development. The viewer is locked in the room depicted in the film for a period of nine minutes. The two opening sequences provide autobiographical references to my previous film work. This is followed by the main body of the film that arises out of, and returns to, the empty living room “set.” With the absence of narrative events, the viewer is free to perceive the imagery in an environment more conducive to subjective interpretation. (LM) “…What does second impressions mean? I don’t know from watching the film, but one of the most interesting things about the film is that it creates a mood in which these hazy, ethereal images seem appropriate…it is the film itself which communicates that the audience should not expect some single narrative event to occur… Actually, I do not think that an explanation of the film can be discovered by watching it. Lorne Marin may know what the film means, but my point is that the film succeeds admirably in creating an atmosphere which does not depend on interpretation of the images…” – John Locke, Cinema Canada “…revealing repeated and segmented actions, omissions, absences, appearances, disappearances, reappearances, all gently, unobtrusively fading in and out. These do not merely contribute to the mood of reverie but serve rather to convey the essence of recalled memories, distilled in time. The film briefly arrests and permanently deepens commonplace, immediate experiences to a state beyond the dreamlike.” – Helle Viirlaid