Chronos

 

Story:

Chronos is a wonder -- it's the first nonverbal, nonfiction movie filmed entirely in time-lapse photography. Presented as a visual symphony in seven movements, Chronos takes viewers on an unprecedented cinematic journey through the essence of time, across the worlds of natural beauty and man-made monuments. Prepare to be awestruck by this unique film that's unlike anything you've ever seen before (NetFlix).

Review:

Ron Fricke’s films are hard to review (as are Godfrey Reggio films).  They truly are great documentaries that make you sit back and contemplate more introspective ideas while also taking in stunning visuals.  But despite all they praise they deserve, it’s hard to recommend his films because they are not for the casual filmgoer (which is this site’s target audience, in case the snarky comments and fanboy-like mentality didn’t tell you). However, if you are willing to branch out into more experimental films, Chronos is a great documentary.     It’s important to go into Fricke’s film with this one idea: Chronos is about time.  I know, it sounds stupid for those of you who know that Chronos was the Greek god of time or anyone who astutely connects the word with chronological or any other time related vocab word, but if you don’t pick up on this concept, you’ll basically be watching 45 minutes of random beautiful shots with no real rhyme or reason.     Once you establish time as it’s theme, this documentary becomes a beautiful and careful dissection of the element and its power.  Fricke uses various forms of time lapse to summarize practically the history of mankind as well as highlighting the strength of this element to everything else. Michael Stearns music embodies this idea in particular as his score, while beautiful, borders on the melancholy and even the pessimistic.   But don’t think of Chronos as a depressing film, consider it an awakening.  Fricke highlights numerous scenes of crowded cities with people hustling in and out of buildings, shops, theaters, etc.  The blurs of flesh are scurrying too and fro for no real reason or at least nothing of worth.  Meanwhile, images of the vast canyons and mountains seem to be progressing slowly.  Even the ruins of ancient civilizations are content to settle in savor what it can of this world.  The “stop and smell the roses” theme is nothing new, and yet under Fricke’s direction it somehow captures your attention more. Perhaps it’s the visuals.  Visuals that are breathtaking in their beauty and scope.  Though Chronos was released in 1985, you could make a strong argument that it surpasses the clarity and quality of most things today.  It feels like a film made for the HD and Plasma TV world and yet it premiered 20 years before these ideas became mainstream.  Now if that’s not a reason to see this documentary, then I’m not sure what is. Yes, it is an experimental film rife with concepts meant only for the astute observer or introspective thinker, but this is a visual feast accompanied by an impressive score.  It’s not as coherent a documentary as Baraka, but then again, it’s subject (time) isn’t so coherent itself.  This is Fricke’s directorial debut and it is a beautiful masterpiece worth seeing, even if you find it difficult to finish.

Reviewed by Matthew Abshire for Documentary Film Online on March 20, 2010

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