The Politics of Art & Authenticity

At first, I wasn’t really such a fan of short films overall. Because they are so short, with no voices, and just simply so short, I thought I couldn’t find any meaning or expression in them. I like reading books or seeing movies where I can get a grander idea of the character, and understand the character’s personality and motives. But these two films, MORE, and Madame Tutli Putli, were different – they were new – and they changed my view. I enjoyed them.

The film MORE was so intriguing and to understand it clearly you really need to see it a few times, and continue going over it and exploring it. This picture displays the main character – looking at it you can see the dilemma he faces – one of hopelessness, a life, a career, that seems to have gone to waste. Although there are no voices or dialogue, which is something that at first made me resent these movies, as I began to dissect the imagery, I realized the movies are actually quite powerful. In MORE, the audience goes on a journey with the protagonist. We see how he works so hard to create his revolutionary breakthrough, and then how he realizes he has become just another great tyrant, and through the director’s dry colors, somber music, gray images, and tone, we feel the great loss and depression, we become a part of the story. We see ourselves, we think about our own lives, what makes us happy, what are the colorless tones and shadows and images in our lives. What is our true secret to happiness.

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I didn’t realize at first that the eyes were real – but then when Professor Davis told us the eyes were real, it gave the film more meaning. I think it’s a really interesting choice that the director put in human eyes – it gives the character a more lifelike disposition, and the entire film a more real edge. This reflects the entire real-life side of the film, how the train was breathing, which personified the train, and then the train sped up so quickly, as if running away from the reality of the situation. The entire film seemed to be alive, and the viewer could see himself in that same situation, the idea of running away from one’s life. I think this film begs the reader to imagine himself in Madame Tutli Putli’s position. What would we do if we were on that train, wearing that hat, carrying her luggage? What have we done in our predicaments, our own positions in life?

In each of these films, rather than looking for a purpose they conveyed, I found myself imagining myself, seeing myself, in those same situations. I could see the overpowering boss in my life, the “happy products,” the harrassing man, the confining train, and the butterflies in my life. These films came alive to me in a way I didn’t think I would ever relate to short films. They were really interesting, and this post doesn’t even do them half the justice they deserve.