"Body Landscapes" “Body Landscape” is an abstract narrative film with a satirical central character. The prevailing theme – hair as landscapes, ties the multiple episodes of short films together to form a continuous emotional arc. Using extreme close-up photography of various bodies of hair, dramatic lighting, and special effects that simulate natural phenomena, the subject matter is de-contextualized from its cultural associations, and inserted into a new setting often aggrandized in documentary filmmaking. While the film displays a fair amount of invention and manipulation on a whimsical level, the cinematography aims to make the mundane subject matter as beautiful as possible - in light of nature documentary. The soundtrack-esque musical score juxtaposed with the imagery creates a melodramatic undertone that is simultaneously affecting and peculiar. “Body Landscape” explores the artifice and irony of emotions present in the heavily fabricated film medium. |