The Human Surge

Directed by Eduardo Williams

One of the most surprising, original, and ingeniously shape-shifting feature debuts in recent years, Eduardo Williams’ The Human Surge focuses on a subject that, for many, is synonymous with boredom, alienation, and mundanity: work.

With his peripatetic camera(s) traversing the globe — shooting on 16mm in Buenos Aires, a Blackmagic pocket camera (subsequently reshot on Super 16 from the screen of a computer) in Maputo, Mozambique, and the RED camera on the Philippine island province of Bohol — Williams creates a multi-faceted meditation on what we do to make money; how we spend our time; how we measure progress, success and leisure; and how ultimately nothing is static in this world of wild weather patterns, internet connectivity, and globalised trade, travel, and exchange.

Winding and wondrous, magical and mysterious, Williams’ stunning debut tracks a constantly evolving world, one with different looks and textures but similar concerns and ways of existence.

Duration:
100 minutes

Translated title:
El auge del humano

Languages:
Portuguese, Spanish and Tagalog

Subtitles:
Full English

Country of origin:
Argentina, Brazil and Portugal

Year of production:
2016