Change Nothing
Director: Pedro Costa
Year Released: 2009
Rating: 1.5
Costa records French actress/singer Jeanne Balibar's singing and smoking and noodling around with her band in high contrast black and white - so high contrast, in fact, that for a good percentage of the time, the screen is 75% black with only shades of gray splattered throughout. Though intended to highlight Balibar's "creative process," it misses the mark - I've been to several bands' and singers' rehearsals and recording sessions and they're tedious for everyone except for (and sometimes including) the musicians themselves, and hearing her repeat the same (banal) lines over and over does not further my appreciation of her artisanship. The static setups and sparse lighting make it aesthetically pleasing - any individual shot would make for a great cover of an album of hers - but on a basic level I know no more about her music (or care to know) than when I started (from what I've heard ... let's just say she should stick to acting).
