Thank you to all active duty and veteran men and women of the U.S. armed forces, defending freedom for all.
The “Swamp Fox,” a P-51 Mustang, was the first aircraft I captured as we were walking across the expansive tarmac.
The DH-115 Vampire, a World War II era fighter aircraft built by English Electric.
The Blue Angels of the U.S. Navy.
This was simply for fun and to practice continuity in filmmaking.
(This critique contains spoilers for the film “The Accused.”)
Several impressive films were featured at FilmFestDC this year, but one film stood out from all the rest. “Acusada” or “The Accused” is a Spanish language film from Argentina, directed by Gonzalo Tobal. This drama/thriller is enthralling from beginning to end and it will leave you on the edge of your seat for the majority of the film. The monotone colors, suspenseful music and marvelous variety of camera angle and movement make this film very worth watching. Not only is it very visually pleasing, but the story is also very well executed.
The film follows a young woman named Dolores who is accused of murdering her best friend. The film begins nice and slow, guiding the viewer through the emotional rollercoaster that Dolores has been feeling since the day of the crime. We get close camera angles and intimate moments between Dolores and her friends as we are introduced to her and the people closest to her. The beginning of the film is set just a few days before the first hearing in court over the murder of her childhood friend. As the story unfolds, we are taken through a thrilling emotional journey with Dolores as she navigates this crisis in her life, all the while trying to keep her family and loyal friends close and save herself from going to prison. At the same time, she faces her own suspicions and doubts about what really happened that day her friend was killed.
For much of the film, we are left wondering who really did it, as well as wondering if Dolores is really guilty or not. There are several instances in the film where it seems probable that Dolores will be found guilty of the brutal crime, but at the same time, we are all rooting for her innocence. “The Accused” is also full of symbolism and social narrative, from the symbolic presence of the puma to the role the media plays in murder cases such as this. The puma symbolizes Dolores’s innocence and how the general public accused her of murder while the truth lay hidden from the public eye, just as the puma could not be found after someone sighted it in town. The role the media plays in this is a direct reference to the role of the media in our society. While the media is so morbidly obsessed with crime, we forget to think about what the accused is going through in this situation and how it is easy for them to lose themselves in the middle of all the indictment. This social narrative is really what drives the story in “The Accused” and welcomes the viewer into the center of Dolores’s confusing and emotional journey.
Overall, I found this film to be very entertaining and thrilling. This is definitely a film worth watching, and the open ending will leave you thinking. The court’s verdict that Dolores is innocent based on lack of evidence is satisfying, but at the same time it leaves the viewer wondering what really happened and who actually committed the murder. Then seeing the puma at the end was the icing on the cake. I rated this film five stars.
The advertising exhibit currently on display in the National Museum of American History is small but powerful. “More Doctors Smoke Camels” is full of old ad campaign visuals from the golden age of advertising: 1927-1952. During this time, ad companies used images of doctors to sell cigarettes. For those who haven’t watched Mad Men, or perhaps lived during that time, wouldn’t know about this. It makes you question the morals of that time, as well as current morals in the world of advertising. I think it is safe to say that most advertising companies during that time only cared about making more money. I mean hey, the tobacco industry is a real money maker, so why not take advantage? And by taking advantage, let's lie as much as we possibly can to the general public about the health risks involved with smoking.
Part of this exhibit was explaining the background of this idea to use doctors in cigarette ads. During the 40s, 50s and 60s, there were continual medical reports published warning people not to smoke because it was now known to cause health issues and even cancer. But the ad companies didn’t want to lose such a large income from tobacco industries, so they began to use doctors in their advertisements to “reassure” people that smoking is fine, in fact it’s good for you in moderation. To us today, this seems outrageous. At that time, however, it worked. Between the 40s and 60s, watching television was one of the most popular things available. The television was the center of every American household, so it was a powerful tool for ad agencies, and people trusted what they saw on tv.
So, learning this history displayed on the right half of the exhibit leads you directly to the second half. An era appropriate couch with a tv display, surrounded by old cigarette ads featuring doctors. And on the tv played an old ad featuring an actor portraying a doctor, promoting cigarettes. The flow of the exhibit was incredible, despite its small size. It contained everything it needed to in order to be impactful, and it was in every way. To the curators of this exhibit, well done. Another nice touch to the display is the little side table next to the couch with an old magazine and, of course, a very dirty ashtray full of cigarette butts. The large number of vintage cigarette advertisements lining the walls of the exhibit added a nice level of immersion to the experience as well. Overall, the curators did a good job with the small space they were provided because the impact was very strong, and I truly felt transported to that era.
As outlandish as it may seem, the advertisements were quite convincing and I could see myself falling for it if I were living in that time. It was such a common thing to smoke back then, and it makes sense for people to have wanted an excuse to keep doing it, even if they knew deep down that it was bad for their health.
Oliver Lee Jackson’s recent paintings in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC is a must-see exhibit, featuring drawings and paintings focused on the human figure. Jackson’s abstract approach to the human form is striking. His works are powerful and visually pleasing. Jackson’s work combines Western art from the time of the Renaissance to the present with African principals. While his work is still abstract, images of the human figure are clearly apparent in his work.
One work in particular struck me while I walked through the space. In the first room, a large triptych covered a wall. This piece, simply titled Triptych, was created and completed in 2015. It is comprised of applied felt, chalk, alkyd paint and mixed media on wood panel. The piece is made up of abstract forms of the face and body, reminiscent of forms found in African art. Black felt figures are layered overtop figures of vibrant blue, orange, pink and green. This piece stuck out to me from the rest not only for its large size, but also for the striking contrast of the figures against the colorful shapes of the background. Another thing stood out to me about Oliver Lee Jackson himself. When talking about his art, he stated that it stands separate from him. He creates each piece not as a reflection of himself, but as something to stand alone and speak for itself. This triptych does that.
The abstract forms of women dancing, cut from black felt against the colorful forms in the background, presents a narrative of race. Some black felt figures contrast against the colors, but some was used to outline figures, creating a colored figure from the negative space outlined by the black. To me, this shows diversity of human forms, and the coming together of people of different color. This piece is so striking because it brings those different forms of the human figure together so intimately by simply using opposing cuts of felt. The woman figures are dancing and interacting with each other so closely and intimately that I can’t help but get a sense of unity within the work, visually and emotionally. This piece is by far the most compelling in Jackson’s recent works.
Oliver Lee Jackson’s recent paintings holds an important narrative of human form not only in the abstract expressionist movement, but also in a social context. Jackson’s works present a whole new form of abstract expressionism, considering his artworks are indeed abstract, but the figures are still clearly visible and understandable. In a social context, his works speak for themselves. Jackson’s intent behind the work is so simple and his execution is masterful. Each piece holds its own individual meaning and purpose, but the best part about it is that the viewer is the one who gets to decide the meaning for themselves. Jackson’s simplistic approach to creating art gives the viewer the freedom to come up with whatever conclusion they wish, which makes viewing his art all the more profound.
Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse series at the Hirshorn is not something to miss this year in Washington, DC. The first room of the exhibit welcomes the viewer with an artist statement from Hemmer describing his personal story behind creating the Pulse series. It is quite a heartwarming story about Hemmer and his wife, beginning with the first time Hemmer ever heard a heartbeat during his wife’s first pregnancy in 2003. The artist writes about his first encounter with hearing the human pulse through the ultrasound machine. This encounter is what sparked Hemmer’s interest in the human pulse and inspired him to delve deeper into the medical meaning behind our pulse as well as its symbolic importance. The exhibit is fully interactive, leading the participant on an immersive adventure through a visual and audible experience of the human pulse.
The first room leading from the introductions contains large projected images of fingerprints. At first, this seemed to be a repeating loop of imagery. As I walked further into the space, I realized that these fingerprints actually belonged to people currently experiencing the exhibit. At the far end of the room, there was a machine where you insert your finger and it reads your pulse. Your pulse and fingerprint are then projected onto the large wall for you and everyone else in the exhibit to see and hear. Having something so deeply associated with personal identity as the fingerprint projected onto a giant wall, however, may make some people feel uncomfortable.
The next room also contained these pulse readers as well as machines that read your pulse from your palms. This middle room is perhaps the most calming because the pulse is transcribed into water, creating ripples and pounding sounds as a small mechanical arm is continuously plopped onto the surface of the water, in sync with your heartbeat. The ripples are projected onto the adjacent wall for everyone to see. The visual of water and the soft pounding sound onto its surface is serene, which makes this room the most relaxing of the three in the exhibit.
The third and final room of the exhibit is quite overwhelming. The ceiling is lined with continuously flashing light bulbs, which is admittedly really cool, but the ambient roar of pulse sounds is too loud and, after a while, becomes too much to handle. The way this room works is through the pulse reader at the far end of the room, by the exit, which reads your pulse and syncs the flashing bulbs to your own heart rhythm. The ambient noise syncs to your rhythm as well, immersing everyone in the loud sounds of your heartbeat. For how overwhelming it begins to get with the flashing lights and constant loud noise, remaining in this room for too long may be dangerous to those sensitive to loud sounds, or for those with epilepsy.
Overall, this exhibit is very interesting. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s execution of the Pulse series is very creative and having everything interactive pushed its meaning even further. Being immersed into environments where the human pulse is visually and audibly displayed so profoundly delivers the participants into a new understanding of the human heartbeat. In a way, this exhibit brings people together on a more intimate level and it is a beautiful reminder of our humanity.