Toronto International Film Festival – Review # 2

Visitors

Screening: Sunday 8 September 2013 @ Elgin Theatre

Director Godfrey Reggio, Composer Philip Glass, Producers Steven Soderbergh & Jon Kane were in attendance

Firstly let me say a massive thank you to Godfrey Reggio & Steven Soderbergh.  I know they will not read this but the words need to be said.  After the film they stopped at the Stage Door and took the time to sign autographs and pose for photos with a few people.  I was very fortunate enough to be one of those people.  I exchanged a few “star-struck” words with them both.  Reggio was an extremely gracious man when faced with lavish praise by myself and others, as too was Soderbergh.  High profile movie stars and Directors receive a fair bit of bad press so it is always fair to mention that not all are full of themselves and are actually very nice individuals.  My autographed booklet, received free inside the theatre is now a prized possession and a permanent reminder of my memorable encounter.

The screening of Visitors at the Toronto International Film Festival was the World Première.  I will probably never attend another World Première but OH MY GOD, did I pick a fantastic film!

Mesmerising, thought-provoking, jaw-dropping, inquisitive, stunning.  I could go on forever using adjectives and superlatives to describe the impact on your senses.  You could categorise the images into 4 groups, people, environment, animal & space.  Some images were so slow in their movement that you barely saw any change, others were on fast forward.

It is a little difficult to describe what you see.  Take the category of people, whilst all the frames were similar in appearance, their expression, their reaction, their emotion made them all unique.  As I watched their faces I began to wonder ‘what can you see’, almost like I was having a conversation with the person on screen.  During the on stage post screening discussion Director Godfrey Reggio made an excellent comment that helped to give me an answer:

“You (the audience) are the storyteller”

It is up to me to decide.  You decide what to take from this film.After reading about the previous works of this group I understood the important part that the music would play.  Though the score was played live inside the theatre, had I been unaware of this fact, I would have known no difference.  The blend between my eyes and ears was seamless.  To be perfectly honest I am not really one to take much notice of film scores, I am more for remembering the visual aspects of film.  That said, I now appreciate the comments I have read in regards to the music providing an important aspect to the whole experience of this film and the Qatsi Trilogy.

I recently was given the opportunity to watch Koyaanisqatsi but I passed.  In a way I am glad that I did.  My first experience of Reggio & Co was a magical experience and whilst the setting for me when I watch the Qatsi Trilogy will not be the same, I know now what to expect and I believe this will place me in the right frame of mind needed to once again have a magical encounter with Reggio.

If you have the chance to watch Visitors on the big screen, please, do not let the opportunity pass.  Equally so, if you have not already watched the Qatsi Trilogy then I would heartily recommend

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