Film fest sneak peek

• Source: Global Times
• [11:10 June 18 2010]
• Comments

Circuit

Circuit (by Xavier Ribera Perpina, Spain, 2010)

Circuit presents a morally vacuous landscape centering on the fashion industry. Excessive self-regard is at the heart of a movie that offers a more human perspective on an industry that rides on a problematic and objectifying aestheticism in its creation of "perfect" individuals.

The story follows fashion photographer Vic (Vincent Martinez), who is abandoned by his American model wife, Ana (Sophie Auster). Early on, Vic decides to go traveling for 1,000 days, but before he can leave, Mia (Misia Mur) arrives at his studio looking for work. Mia, in a strange turn of events, is given the business to run in Vic's absence.

Romantically inclined Pere (Lazaro Mur) is the brother of bike-race photographer Ramon (Oscar Jaenada).

When Pere discovers that Eva (Michelle Jenner), a model he hasn't seen in years, is coming to Barcelona, he uses Ramon's journalist credentials to engineer a meeting with her.

Although the characters in Circuit are normalized to an extent, there is still an uneasy, metaphysically dubious sense in which they remain self-interested, self-parodying versions of themselves.

Director Perpina shifts the story back and forth in time, unraveling the plot in a somewhat incoherent manner.

His camera work is pleasing however, with unusual angles and lighting tricks. The music is excellent; a moody, electronic soundscape drawn from a range of sources.

As Circuit forces appraisal of its fundamental intentions as a film, it will probably not achieve anything like mainstream success, though as a curiosity it certainly has its merits.