J'Ecoute

“This film is a selection of shots I made with a small digital camera during breaks on the set of Quei loro incontri. Three moments in particular: listening to the sound, rehearsals with the actors, choosing the angles. But it’s the instant right after the first of these moments, the J’écoute! that Danièle shouts, breaking the silence of men and forests, that became the central element. What has happened forces me to sadly remember the joyous memory of Peccato nero (1989), the first Straub film I saw at the cinema. It’s an image that constantly comes to mind these days. Danièle is sitting on a mound of earth. She’s holding her head in her hands, as though she were holding a full cruet, balanced like a statue that has just been unearthed. She makes this gesture with a rage that is both violent and at the same time meek. She has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen, and the earth trembles for her. She’s sitting on a volcano. And she manages to be both its companion and the guardian of its flame. All these days will be terrible without her. I am – almost – convinced.” (G. Bursi)