saw something called onlookers at metrograph in dimes square last night. i don't know the name of the style of film, but it's one of those ones where there's no dialogue, no story, nothing happens, just a series of static camera shots that let you watch the world go by. i really like that kind of thing. this one was 'about' tourism in laos. which i did about 20 years ago and it bought back a lot of memories. was surprising to see that the same things that i did (getting smashed tubing) are still going on without much of a chance. beyond the personal nostalgia, the best thing the film focused on was people on their phones taking photos. she really captured that thing i think, everyone showing up in a place and getting their selfies.
the filmmaker did a q&a after. she said she'd been to laos for two trips, totalling about a month between the two of them. she's an academic of some kind at rutgers. the lack of familiarity of the place really shone through in the film i think. it had that same feel of being a slightly bemused tourist, an uncomprehending outside perspective on a distant land. it was nice and wholesome watching her speak and thank her mum and her students that had shown up to watch the film. i've said a thousand times on here it is ludicrous how dominant this kind of demographic is in cultural production in the US (or at least the parts of it that i gravitate to). a middle class academic basically. they're everywhere.