ADGIN PRRX

A re-edit of John Frankenheimer’s 1966 car racing paragon Grand Prix that begins with the shortest scene of the film and ends with its longest. What sounds like a purely formalist exercise reveals itself as a fascinating essay on story-telling as well as a profound meditation on time. A rare cinematic experience!

ADGIN PRRX is surely the most troublesome title to pronounce at this IFFR – not to mention the most enigmatic. Although, wordplay-ers might quickly spot what this is: an alphabetically ordered anagram of Grand Prix. Which, in a symbolic way, describes the film perfectly: a re-edit of John Frankenheimer’s eponymous 1966 car racing paragon that begins with the shortest scene of the film and ends with its longest.

What sounds like a purely formalist exercise reveals itself as a work that invites various approaches. One can still enjoy the story, just that now it gets told in a fleeting flash-forward-flash-backward stream of consciousness style – that was all the rage in art cinema during the time Grand Prix was made. A philosophical question asked by this form is: How do we use time in films – what is told speedily and for what do we need longer? And how does it feel when proceedings start to lengthen, moments linger, time passes by ever more perceptibly? A true masterpiece, and a rare cinematic experience!

– Olaf Möller

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•