Bark
A strange conversation, between two teenage girls in a dreamy setting, culminates in a surreal nightmare.
11'
United States
IFFR 2022
Pity young performer Sissy St. Claire: she is allowed to shine in her very own TV special on Saturday night, but this doesn’t turn out as expected. Sissy gives her all in the show which – with its songs, sketches, and a question-and-answer section – closely follows the old-time, American variety evening TV formats, complete with commercial breaks. Expect disco balls, glitter outfits, and Stars and Stripes prints in this spectacle beamed straight from a whole other shimmery analogue video epoch.
In spite of the canned laughter, a feeling of desperation and unease encroaches on Give Me Pity!. A shadowy figure is lurking somewhere behind the scenes. Is it a stalker? Or, is it all in the actress’s imagination? And, why are there spots of blood on the letter received? The part of Sissy – who is struggling to navigate between the roles of mother, whore, wife, and victim – is played by Sophie Von Haselberg, who pulls out all the stops for this one-woman show.
Screens in combination with Sin Ultra
This is an English-language film, no subtitles available
See also Big Talk: Amanda Kramer
IFFR 2022
Programme IFFR 2022
After years helming her own underground dance label, Amanda Kramer has turned her vibrant vision to the seventh art with an aesthetic that is wild yet probing. Her films showcase bold performances, and grapple with the unknowability and instability of life and human psychology, pushing cinema to its limits.
Read more about this programmeA strange conversation, between two teenage girls in a dreamy setting, culminates in a surreal nightmare.
11'
United States
IFFR 2022
Sissy St. Claire gives the one-woman show of her life, but dark forces lurk backstage. Glittery VHS-style disco dream.
80'
United States
IFFR 2022
A needy man is tormented by religious visions. The women in his life plan an intervention.
13'
United States
IFFR 2022