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30 Jan – 9 Feb 2025

Resonance

Stephen Cummins | Australia | 1991 | 12' | IFFR 1992

Resonance tells the story of gay bashing in a slum neighbourhood of Sydney and of its `resonance’; the film tries to show the effect of this violence on those involved. In the end the girl-friend of the gay basher finds herself in the same isolation as the victim, resulting in a break.The power of Resonance can be seen in the aesthetic pictures but also in the abstract way in which Cummins tells his story. The interaction of movements and the use of titles provide a way of portraying the distance and the rapport of the characters. Bodies, dance and camera form one circular movement and result in a dynamic unity which is occasionally reminiscent of a music video. In this way self-defence, ballet and a boxing match mingle into one.The makers gave the soundtrack a leading role in the film. The sound braces the visual component, contradicts or replaces it. Sound and music are constructed as one, in which the two most important `resonances’ are a car alarm and breathing.`In Resonance we wished to deal with structures of power within and between relationships, the links between homophobia and misogyny and their subsequent effect on memory and the body,’ according to Cummins and Hunt.

Film details

Country of production
Australia
Year
1991
Festival edition
IFFR 1992
Length
12"
Medium/Format
35mm

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