TIME INDEFINITE: A REVIEW toss MeBlwee's cinematic genius achieves fll expression in Time Indefinite. The film stunningly captures what it means to be a contemplative bving conscious of mortality and the fragility of human happiness, Tn the film, McElwee takes us on a cinematic journey. trying “to document little moments” from his life. These moments are varied enough to include family reunions, discussions with his film teacher about male/female relationships, visits with his dying grandmother, the making of hie wedding invitations, and even his future wife's appointment with a gynecologist, These moments sleo include his reflections on his past, as when he recalls some of his childhood questions: “Do fish go to heaven? Is their heaven an aquarium? And if i is, thea who leans it?) Although McElwee has a wellspring of humor, as evidenced by the Woody Allen aque siusings on Fish-heaven, he is also willing to expose the viewer to the prin and sadness of Life. McElwee ig unafraid to show old age in all ts uinexalted seality or to discuss cleath in all is teagealy. AL times death seems 2 very obseasion: Having just olserved that he's spent six out of bis thiry rolls of Glu on a children's cemetery in Mexico, he wonders whether death must thon be on his asind twenty percent of the time Later, he ruefully observes that his deceased Fiulhee’s socks are sill yolled up and ready to be worn, implying that material possession, ironically enough, caf outlast the people who swore supposed to use them, i MoLlwee has a keen cinematic eye for the cexistentally absurd. At one paint, he decides that he mst visit his father's house in order to reconcile himself to his Father's permanent departure, While in the house, he muses incessantly on death before being interrupted Ly a bye infestation, which forces him to eal a Another ist scene, which reoues repeatedly, fumigation company called *Killo depicts the gardener Melvia trying with annayed perreverance to Hart an suneaoperative liwn mower, As he beads down again and again to pull the starting cable, seth Time, could sat help thinking of Sisyphus on the cock the suotew nly hall-sarving snuggling pointlessly 19 complete his pointless task, MeLhwee sggerte that filmasking is aleo abaurd, ax when he reveals that his Camily sewed the fens they tole 0 ach, Another theme shat pervades the movie is the ambiguous relationship between art and life. In one comical scene, McElstee films his Dlind date, to whom his friend Charlene has introduced him, Charlene, impatient with Rose's insistence on filming everything, agitatedly reminds him, “This i life—aot art! For McElwee the dilemma is for a time resolved with the birth of his son, which birth serves as a sudden and powerful affirmation of life and its intuitively felt interconneetedness. Not only does this aHlimation counterbalance the implicit loneliness in Tine Indefauie, but it imposes a certain urgency on practical 4 and contemplative posture as a philosophical Slzomaker MeElwee's “characters” are probably survival that momentarily shakes hie detach more intriguing than any that could be dreamed up by a screenwriter. Charlene, for example, is a unique comporite of Southern sensibilities and self-roflective angst and insight. She also appears in Sherman's March, which more than Tune Indefinite captures the great variety of personalities and characteristics one can find in just one section March are relveshingly authentic and yet, in come of America. The subjects of Shermai ,, mare fictional chan real: a Holl bound actress mechanics, « traveling singer, a fanatic group of armed libertarians establishing a rural 4 group of Black auto sertle two-person island, The cinematography of Time Indefinite is captivating, original, and almost always ia linguistics scholar living on memorable, At several points, McElwee includes the breathtaking view of the oczan from below a pier—a view he describes as “an cathedral unforgettable scene, MeBlwee fills the screen exotic Daring another with on image of « dying fish's mouth gasping desperately for oxygen. disturbingly notes that he himself isthe last hing that the fish will As technology hastens the pace of life and as McElwee redwees the average attention span, MecElwee's approach to filmmaking is refteshing and resenstizing, for he focuses on his subjvet matter with thoughtfulness and care. Paradosicaly. then, MeElwee puts bis inventive approach to Glmmaking to the tse honored service of rendering the landscape of THE CONTEST ‘WINNERS WILL READ FROM THEIR Work APRIL 15, 7:00 P.M. AT THE ADVOCATE. 21 SouTH STREET CALL US FOR: * Low Student-Teacher-Youth Airares * Low Domestic Airfares » AMTRAK «+ Adventure Tours» Language Courses «International Student & Teacher 1D. * Youth Hostel Memberships * Car Rental & Leasing © Eurail & Britrall Passes issued on the spot! + For "Around the World” Itineraries: CALL Tina at 576-3134 |FREE “STUDENT TRAVELS" MAGAZINE! 799 Boviston St. Mass Ave Hana Sql 266-1925 497-1497] NortheastemU. MIT Scent Ctr 424-6665 295-0555] SPRING 1994 23