A Partial History of the Natural World, 1965

Sasha Waters Freyer / United States, Vietnam / 2014 / East European Premiere / 7 min.

synopsis

A meditative exploration of the violent struggle for independence in southeast Asia is framed by excerpts from Sylvia Plath’s poem “Tulips”. The central theme is combined in a double exposure with scenes of butterfly metamorphosis. The entire meditation on the year 1965 is accompanied by Bartók’s Solo for Violin 3.

DETAIL:
As the light lies on these white walls, this bed, these hands.
I am nobody; I have nothing to do with explosions.
The Tulips, Sylvia Plath

biography

American director Sasha Waters Freyer’s primary focus is creative film collage. Her short-length films are part of her “Incomplete History” series, in which she uncovers hidden social problems of the 20th century leading to various forms of violence; in 2012 the Jihlava IDFF presented her film “An Incomplete History of the Travelogue, 1925”. Her film Chekhov for Children, from 2010, lit up festival screens with her unique view of an original Broadway production of Uncle Vanya.