CCW Film Review

    To understand dreams and film as parallel ideas is not hard to grasp when one realizes one’s own perspective while watching films.  Most films have dream-like qualities to them.  The viewer cannot see everything that is happening and is not in control of the perspective; it is entirely another force, and one that is decided before the piece is watched.  Dreams are similar in that one usually cannot control what is happening or where the dream may lead to.  Also, there is a connection between scene changes in films and ‘scene changes’ in dreams.  The film Slacker, directed by Richard Linklater and made in 1991, has a dream-like quality to it.  A film that relates is La Montaña Sagrada (The Holy Mountain) from 1973 directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky.
    The American film Slacker from the 90s showed a story of characters connected to each other through place, friendship, funny conversations with strangers, taxi drivers, among other varied interactions.  The diversity of these connections that strung together each vignette is refreshing. A new character’s story every ten minutes or so leaves the viewer intrigued and slightly wanting.  Forcing the viewer to ‘catch up’ with each new story creates an excitement to see what will happen next.  It is a very thought-provoking way to present stories, as it makes the viewer question what has happened before and after each vignette.  At the start of the film, a man who rides a taxi cab goes on about a theory in which one’s thoughts of what could have happened in a given situation become materialized in another dimension or universe.  He also mentions how it’s possible to dream about one of those alternate realities.  There is a slight connection there between the viewer’s opinion of what could have happened or what will happen in the film, and the taxi rider’s theory that thoughts become realities. 
    La Montaña Sagrada, is a Spanish cult film from the 70s.  Instead of showing stories of different people, there is a main character that dips into various places.  There is hardly a clear narrative, but one could easily develop a metaphor for one.  This film is simply stunning- the imagery is profound and lingers in the mind well after watching.  It leaves the viewer stunned in a way.  It makes one wonder ‘Did that just happen?’ or ‘What did that mean?’  There is sparse dialogue throughout the piece which complements well the deluge of imagery and symbols.  The film has religious themes  throughout that are obvious but they seem to be satirical.  For example, when the man is drugged and wakes up to find himself surrounded by hundreds of molds of himself in the position of being crucified on a cross.  The short clips of the characters that represent the planets are also quite funny as they show exaggerated or fantastical representations of mundane life.  These could be a metaphor of how people live out their lives, what rules they live by, how peaceful or wasteful they are, etc.  La Montaña Sagrada has more dreamy tendencies as many parts of the film don’t make logical sense.  Everything about the film is sporadic and looks as if it takes place in another world, another universe, perhaps a dream someone had. 
    These two films are very different but have some similar themes.  They compare well together and are worth seeing a couple times to develop thoughts and understand them more.