An Organization of Dreams

'What is the cinema, if not dreams?'

Ken McMullen's latest film, exquisitely shot in the capital of cinema, Paris, is an investigation of the institution of cinema, not only as dreams, but also as strategic political tool. It centres on the Derridian philosopher, Bernard Stiegler, whose intellectual insights are sought by a beautiful young actress and reporter (Gabriella Wright) who wants to discover if cinema can be dangerous. She has the desire to use cinematic terror to rid the world of cultural fascism. Investigating her is a delusional cop (Dominique Pinon), intent on uncovering the kind of empirical truth that is no longer possible. The film exemplifies the cinema as described by Stiegler; it produces itself by organising stories through strata of visual representations that strive to reveal the unconscious. It shows cinema as a machine that questions the structure of time and turns human dreams into reality, and it proves that cinema can provoke unexpected violent reactions, as in the cited example of Godard's Hail Mary, whose producers faced death threats. More insidiously, it firmly asserts that cinema is exploited by the State to create fictional histories for the purpose of geo-political domination. If this is dangerous cinema, more of it, please.

Helen de Witt