Trinh Minh-ha’s study of villages in Senegal is a fascinating piece of anti-ethnography. Neatly dissecting the position of the camera and of the anthropologist-subject, Trinh’s film flouts the tradition of ethnographic film, placing emphasis on the banality of everyday labor, rather than on more exotic subjects, like rites or religious practices. Her fast editing, deliberately awkward camerawork, and persistently interrogative voiceover serve to remind the viewer of the camera’s presence as a tourist and outsider.
by Leo Goldsmith | Source: 16mm print
01 Nov 2005 9:52 PM | Submit Comment