Educational Media Reviews Online

These six films from the French experimental film maker Johanna Vaude are firmly placed in the poetic tradition of cinematic structuralism. Characterized by bright pure colors, minimalist music, and editing for a ‘flicker’ effect, they consistently create a meditative environment for the audience. All are tightly and complexly structured around a few found images, which are scratched, painted over, or otherwise covered and only glimpsed. Horror films, martial arts films, still images of an eye, and Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” drawing are among the main central imagery for films that range from 8 to 18 minutes long. The music and sound, sometimes created by the artist, is interesting and the films in general are worthy examples of this alternative tradition that emphasizes the medium and offers opportunity for subtle critique of mainstream media.