"Agian" is a documentary about a group of Basque poets shot and directed by the Basque filmmaker Arkaitz Basterra Zalbide.
After watching the film I realized that the filmmaker is a poet too. He is one of the group, even though he may not be a member of the inner core and only accompanied the others for the length of the shoot. The artists which are portrayed here interact with each other on several levels: intellectually, philosophically, emotionally, and of course artistically. They are painters, writers, musicians, singers and friends. They are also travelers both in space and time because not only do they perform wherever they can but they also keep their cultural inheritance alive by remembering their roots and thus planting their artistic seeds in the hearts of audiences everywhere. Their performances are warm and inviting, yet they gives us a sense of urgency as we realize that we are experiencing a group of artists from a place that we know very little about and it is unclear when we will get the chance to see, hear and enjoy their work again.
The film itself interacts in a similar way with its audience by making very good use of title-cards, paintings, photographs, interviews, and alternating shots of cities and landscapes both of the old and new world. Appropriately the interviews are partly in Spanish, partly in Basque and you can even hear some snippets in English by New York City residents who spontaneously get to participate in the documentary. Even the aspect ratio of the film changes at times, which adds to the sparkling, bubbly feeling of the film. The images include bright, warm tones of the Basque landscapes, glittery night shots of New York and also give us an insight into the artists' homes where we find them in their everyday surroundings. Here they open up to the filmmaker and let them share some of their childhood memories, their reasons for becoming artists and how they met and connected with one another. Eventually they invite us to come along for the ride by presenting us some of their most cherished places, both internally and externally.
"Agian" tells us a lot about the group and eventually also about the Basque Country, as it is impossible to separate them from their background, which influences their work tremendously. Although the film clocks in at 81 minutes it is a very informative film and I often wished for even more of that lovely music, those ravishing location shots and wonderful paintings cut into the interviews. In the end a painting, a photograph or a piece of music is still the easiest way to connect to an artist's soul and to understand where they really come from. If one wishes to learn more about these artists and their work then this documentary is the perfect introduction.
In many ways "Agian" is open to interpretation. It invites the viewer to accompany the artists on their journey and to think about them and their influence on us long after the film is over. "Agian" is Basque for "Maybe" and it is up to the spectator to find out some of the meanings this title could refer to. "Maybe" it was a twist of fate that the group and the filmmaker met in New York City and agreed to create a slice of movie magic.
After watching the film I realized that the filmmaker is a poet too. He is one of the group, even though he may not be a member of the inner core and only accompanied the others for the length of the shoot. The artists which are portrayed here interact with each other on several levels: intellectually, philosophically, emotionally, and of course artistically. They are painters, writers, musicians, singers and friends. They are also travelers both in space and time because not only do they perform wherever they can but they also keep their cultural inheritance alive by remembering their roots and thus planting their artistic seeds in the hearts of audiences everywhere. Their performances are warm and inviting, yet they gives us a sense of urgency as we realize that we are experiencing a group of artists from a place that we know very little about and it is unclear when we will get the chance to see, hear and enjoy their work again.
The film itself interacts in a similar way with its audience by making very good use of title-cards, paintings, photographs, interviews, and alternating shots of cities and landscapes both of the old and new world. Appropriately the interviews are partly in Spanish, partly in Basque and you can even hear some snippets in English by New York City residents who spontaneously get to participate in the documentary. Even the aspect ratio of the film changes at times, which adds to the sparkling, bubbly feeling of the film. The images include bright, warm tones of the Basque landscapes, glittery night shots of New York and also give us an insight into the artists' homes where we find them in their everyday surroundings. Here they open up to the filmmaker and let them share some of their childhood memories, their reasons for becoming artists and how they met and connected with one another. Eventually they invite us to come along for the ride by presenting us some of their most cherished places, both internally and externally.
"Agian" tells us a lot about the group and eventually also about the Basque Country, as it is impossible to separate them from their background, which influences their work tremendously. Although the film clocks in at 81 minutes it is a very informative film and I often wished for even more of that lovely music, those ravishing location shots and wonderful paintings cut into the interviews. In the end a painting, a photograph or a piece of music is still the easiest way to connect to an artist's soul and to understand where they really come from. If one wishes to learn more about these artists and their work then this documentary is the perfect introduction.
In many ways "Agian" is open to interpretation. It invites the viewer to accompany the artists on their journey and to think about them and their influence on us long after the film is over. "Agian" is Basque for "Maybe" and it is up to the spectator to find out some of the meanings this title could refer to. "Maybe" it was a twist of fate that the group and the filmmaker met in New York City and agreed to create a slice of movie magic.
