An experimental film that was shot over a ten-year period, Paradise makes its local debut tonight at 7 at the Cleveland Museum of Art Lecture Hall. Director Michael Almereyda will be on hand to introduce the movie and take questions afterwards. Here’s our review of his film.
Paradise (U.S., 2009) Because Michael Almereyda’s experimental film has no consistent narrative to it, it’s rather hard to make any kind of sense of it. In one clip, we see a couple of Indian kids walking around a goldfish pond. One child falls in the water and is embarrassed that he slipped. In another scene, a group of guys playing cards wax eloquence about the meaning of life and in another a group of friends drive up to a hilltop to watch a fireworks display. And in yet another, a guy talks about the expensive Oriental rugs he’s selling. While there’s an eerie beauty to some of the scenes (particularly the fireworks clip, which is shot in black and white), it’s difficult to say what it all means. Shot in nine different countries over a ten-year period, the film is certainly ambitious. **
This article appears in Feb 10-16, 2010.
