Photography (Fotografía)

Pál Zolnay's Photography is an unusual and profoundly affecting merger of cinema verité footage and narrative structure. Two actors impersonate traveling photographers who peddle their wares to potential camera subjects in a small Hungarian village, while seemingly hidden film cameras record the assorted reactions of the townspeople. “Photography is, on the first level, an interrogation of our self-portrait. How do we desire to see ourselves? And, further, what is the role of the camera in preserving and confronting the objective image with the desired one? By exploring this theme, the filmmaker cannot avoid touching an even deeper chord: to see the camera as a dramatic partner, as a real challenge to people's lives. This medium provokes a self-examination which is capable of penetrating the most buried strata of human consciousness. The spectator, guided by the camera, advances himself step by step toward a dreadful, unbearable secret in this incomparable experience. Chris Marker's dictum seems to be realized: ‘Truth is not the goal, but rather the way towards it.'” Yvette Biro

This page may by only partially complete.