Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici - I Leave [official video by Aline d'Auria]
From: Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici - [No] Surrender https://simongrab.bandcamp.com/album/...
«It is as if every little part of Norman and his house made noise for my film, adding up to a visual composition of movement, thought and space.» - Aline d’Auria
Aline d’Auria’s film for ‘I Leave’ by Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici is rooted in a series of encounters with Norman Skinner, the film maker’s neighbour at Edgecombe Avenue 409, Harlem, New York. After seeing him walking in pain around the house’s entrance multiple times, they engaged in conversations that grew more and more regular and gave Aline the chance to learn the history of the building and Norman’s story.
One day, he told her the news that his nephew would leave for the Navy. Norman had brought up the young man as his father figure, had fought for him, had taken him along to his work place in order to keep him off the streets. This is when d’Auria decided to film Norman at his home.
She explains: «For me, filming is a gate opener to visit remarkable people. I enter their lives as a witness, and try to honour them with my craft.» The footage of Norman is a mindful and patient observation of a man in his home, where years-long struggles have left their traces.
Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici’s ‘I Leave’ becomes the soundtrack for this encounter. The 16mm black and white negative film matches the music perfectly, as if the music would penetrate the physical film and become part of Norman’s story. The calm of the situation is undercut by a nearly tangible tension. ‘I Leave’ captures both an end and a starting point: someone has to leave. Who and why is left open, leaving space for the viewer to imagine the underlying stories and relations themselves.
CREDITS
«Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici - I Leave» a film by directed by Aline d’Auria.
«Simon Grab & Francesco Giudici - I Leave» is part of the album «[No] Surrender» that was released on -OUS: https://simongrab.bandcamp.com/album/...