La Jetee
La Jetee (Pier) is a French sci-fi short film made in 1962 by Director Chris Marker. This is not any usual film made of continuous and ongoing scenes. It’s a montage of photographs. A story which is made with still photos but is more moving than anything. A series of emotions compiled in photos which grows on you gradually.
The film is a time travel concept based film with a pinch of romance that adds to a perfect and unique delicacy. The era shown here is a post apocalyptic era in Paris, after the disastrous World War lll, where scientists there are experimenting on humans with their concept of travelling in time both past and future. With a failure in one of the experiments, they go on to experiment on the protagonist (Davos Hanich) and yes, protagonist because no characters have their specific names. So, as he is the one that is being experimented, he travels in his past and comes across a face. Face of a beautiful girl which he had seen in his childhood, which stuck in his mind and that he wished to be around her. That girl (Helene Chatelain) smiled at him and further is the delightful yet subtle romantic story between the protagonist and this girl. As the experiment is successful they perform it again and again and every time he travels, he gets back to that girl which he fantasized at different places, at museums and the only moment where there is picture in motion and the feeling of love is expressed when the girl is sleeping and she opens her eyes. With different intervals, film absorbs you in and you want to know more about them. But then scientists want him to travel to future and that is when he finds himself running towards that girl and ultimately lying down in the end.
It’s a movie that holds you inspite of it’s unusual filming and no scenes in motion. It leaves a hollow in your heart because the end leaves you to seek more and you have to watch this film to understand, why he finds himself lying down there. La Jetee is an experience of lifetime which made the director inspire to make 12 Monkeys (1995). A must watch cinema which is just 28 minutes short.
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.