There is a certain irony in sonnet 71; on one hand the writer loves his partner so much that he wishes she forget him instantly when he dies so that she does not suffer in his wake; but then on the other hand he is putting this total love into writing rather than doing a 'Walter White taking Holly' thing instead. I was curious what this film in the Sonnet Project would do with that but will confess that I was a bit worried when I saw that the location for this one was the Holocaust Memorial. I ended the film with a lot that I liked about it but yet still with my reservations.
Those reservations come from the fundamental device of delivering the sonnet in front of the map of Auschwitz on the external of the memorial. It feels odd because the sonnet is about forgetting the writer/speaker so that you are not caused pain by that memory, or somehow mocked by others in association; maybe I make it too simple but for me it really feels uncomfortable to connect that sentiment with a building whose raison d'être is to ensure we do not forget, that we not let go of the pain that the memory causes. Conscious that in no way is this what the film, I did stretch to try to find what the film was saying.
My conclusion was labored but I assumed that the power of the memorial and the pain inflicted on the woman by the memory of what it stood for was what caused her to suddenly explain that she would not wish any such memory or any such pain on others when it comes to her death – in particular her loved ones. Although I am not totally sure this is what is happening, it seems the mostly likely although I would have liked it to be clearer due to the risk of what it could have been taken to say.
That aside, the delivery of the film is pretty good. The close-ups of the stone put me off at first but, although a bit obvious, the fast edits of the memorial into the woman's mind sort of set the frame and gave the actress something to do. In terms of delivering the sonnet, the film pushes the despair side rather than the depth of adoration – so it does feel like the woman is not wishing how she feels right now onto those that she loves. In this context the performance is really good, with Dana really getting a lot of genuine emotion in there, rather than just being Shakespearean and saying job done. The cinematography is good (despite a shaky camera in the final few close shots) and the sound is clear but not overly produced.
I ended the film still a little uncomfortable about what it could easily be taken to mean, and wishing that perhaps it had done something to be clearer what the added setting and story meant in the context of the sonnet, but I still liked it for its strength of feeling and delivery.
Those reservations come from the fundamental device of delivering the sonnet in front of the map of Auschwitz on the external of the memorial. It feels odd because the sonnet is about forgetting the writer/speaker so that you are not caused pain by that memory, or somehow mocked by others in association; maybe I make it too simple but for me it really feels uncomfortable to connect that sentiment with a building whose raison d'être is to ensure we do not forget, that we not let go of the pain that the memory causes. Conscious that in no way is this what the film, I did stretch to try to find what the film was saying.
My conclusion was labored but I assumed that the power of the memorial and the pain inflicted on the woman by the memory of what it stood for was what caused her to suddenly explain that she would not wish any such memory or any such pain on others when it comes to her death – in particular her loved ones. Although I am not totally sure this is what is happening, it seems the mostly likely although I would have liked it to be clearer due to the risk of what it could have been taken to say.
That aside, the delivery of the film is pretty good. The close-ups of the stone put me off at first but, although a bit obvious, the fast edits of the memorial into the woman's mind sort of set the frame and gave the actress something to do. In terms of delivering the sonnet, the film pushes the despair side rather than the depth of adoration – so it does feel like the woman is not wishing how she feels right now onto those that she loves. In this context the performance is really good, with Dana really getting a lot of genuine emotion in there, rather than just being Shakespearean and saying job done. The cinematography is good (despite a shaky camera in the final few close shots) and the sound is clear but not overly produced.
I ended the film still a little uncomfortable about what it could easily be taken to mean, and wishing that perhaps it had done something to be clearer what the added setting and story meant in the context of the sonnet, but I still liked it for its strength of feeling and delivery.