It makes me sad to the deepest part of my soul that this little girl has an 80% chance of growing up to be this woman.
I don't see anything wrong with the woman.
maybe that she thinks it's real? and that this makes her full of rage? that she's holding a tiny child and hurling obscenities (probably more than we actually get to see) at a piece of "family" entertainment? that the child clearly is more interested in the camera than the proceedings on stage, which she no doubt gets dragged to week after week?
basically I Love a Magician has made something really brilliant. i'm not saying it's a great film or even a great short, it's not a conventional piece of narrative, what did u call this again, a trailer or something? it actually has a Frederick Wiseman feel, it's simply immersive, it doesn't offer much of a view point other than trying to give a glimpse of as many facets of this one event which remains unglorified despite the attention and effort drawn on it.
ILAM you were always one of the talented ppl here, i'm really happy to see your work again after you stopped uploading your pics, it was clear you had a good eye for composition but i considered that secondary to the real talent in your pictures which was an eye for characters. if there is forced drama somewhere in these images it goes unnoticed, everything feels natural no doubt a result of your own immersion in the world of these ppl for 2 years as you state.
i couldn't do what you do, i am too judgmental. i can't look at that little girl and not think what Polkablues said. but that's just our impression and certainly not the clear intention of the artist. GT proves the balance that you managed to achieve by seeing that shot from the point of view of the crazy lady, where i see the girl and can only think "why is she there?" her little eyes bring a small redemption by focussing on the camera, she doesn't yet have any will of her own and as she sits there in her crazy grandmother's lap she accepts her surroundings without question and naturally hones in on the one element that is mostly foreign to that environment.. she's accepting you, us, everything. and yet i can't help noticing the old lady every time, and judging her.
upon second viewing the foreshadowing of the opening shots is clear. the speech announces the drama onstage as well as the rift between the way each member of the featured family views the events. the conclusion that everything falls apart plays in the background as a natural line in the narrative of the stage but at that point the image of the child contrasted with the crazy woman takes on additional significance depending on the viewer's alliance. the division between the child and the woman is mostly made internally, they are both in focus and so it is our interests which ultimately guide the composition,. i have to believe that in a more controlled setting it would be tempting to hammer this contrast by purposely shifting focus between background and foreground, but that is the weak choice when the content is not compelling enough to make the viewer do this work himself.
i am going to stop myself before i over-interpret what i think could just as easily be seen as a cool video from a wrestling-fan perspective, but i don't like wrestling at all so i have let my mind wander.
