Mammame, 1986, Raúl Ruiz

Mammame

Regie: Raúl Ruiz; Drehbuch: Jean-Claude Gallotta, Raúl Ruiz nach einer Choreografie von Jean-Claude Gallotta; Kamera: Acácio de Almeida; Schnitt: Martine Bouquin; Musik: Henry Torgue, Serge Houppin; mit: Le groupe Emile Dubois: Eric Alfieri, Mathilde Altaraz, Muriel Boulay, Christophe Delachaux, Jean-Claude Gallotta, Pascal Gravat, Priscilla Newell, Viviane Serry, Robert Seyfried. FR, 1986, 16mm, Farbe, 66 min

In Mammame, Ruiz translates Claude Galotta's choreography into an actionless sequence of encounters and interactions, of human dramas of desire, acceptance and rejection. The dancers also manifest themselves vocally, whispering, babbling, murmuring, moaning, screaming in a soundtrack consistently separated from the image. This is accompanied by a mix of classical music and 80s electro-pop, which further underscores the sheer physicality of the performance. After 45 minutes, the dungeon-like stage space opens onto a surging sea. Sea spray and birds surround the dancers – is there such a thing as love in the face of nature after all? (M.M.)

Courtesy Cinémathèque française