The latest project from Ben Rivers (Two Years at Sea) is a labyrinthine and epic work that moves between documentary, fantasy and fable. It was shot against the staggering beauty of the Moroccan landscape, from the rugged terrain of the Atlas Mountains to the stark and surreal emptiness of the Moroccan Sahara, with its encroaching sands and abandoned film sets. Rivers’ work contains multiple narratives, the major strand being an adaptation of A Distant Episode, the savage short story by Paul Bowles. The film also features the enigmatic young film director Oliver Laxe, whose onscreen presence becomes interwoven with the multiple narratives that co-exist amidst the various settings of Rivers’ cinematic exploration. Shot in 16mm cinemascope, it’s an ambitious excavation of the illusion of filmmaking and the art of documentary.
The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers screens on general release from Fri 6 May. This film is one part of a larger commission by Artangel.