Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow
Director: Sophie Fiennes
Year Released: 2010
Rating: 1.0
Weak 'documentary' by Fiennes about tremendously gifted German-born artist Anselm Kiefer - who works with cement, lead, dirt, broken glass and other 'earthy' elements to create his darkened, sooty canvases and haunting installations - barely probes the psyche of Kiefer and lingers (to the point of fatigue) over some of his constructions (neglecting to even name them or provide any explanation for their existence). As major a talent as Kiefer is, he deserves a lot better than this cursory treatment, with Fiennes' grating preference for screechy 'scary' strings to accompany her tracking shots and crane shots through Kiefer's tunnels and cement structures. Having a decent understanding of Kiefer's background (I've seen several of his works on my travels), it's always a treat to marvel at his cold, forbidding world, but Fiennes shows little ability to shape her material.
