Catalogue > At random

Standing in front of a window, a young boy methodically repeats the same action: watching his shadow drawn by the sun, placing a glass marble on the dividing line between light and shade, on the outline of the shape of his body. A number of marbles in a line suggest the repetition of this solitary ritual, month after month, year after year. This simple action represents the literal and painstaking measurement of the passing of time, the embodiment of an ancient gnomon. Cosmic time versus living time. Between a child?s game and first seriousness born of an awareness of the passing of time, this repeated action retains its poetry and its mystery. Is the child trying to check the relentless passage of time by placing this trivial object on the outline of his silhouette? Does he, like Tom Thumb, wish to mark each stage of his journey through life, so that he can remember it better or create his own future narrative? The film depicts a journey of discovery, a sort of simple yet sublime parable of our own temporality and the vanity of our actions. Hélène Guenin, Director, Mamac, Nice