To Die (or Not)

Directed by Ventura Pons

The latest from renowned Catalan director Pons continues his series of elegant ensemble dramas of shifting narratives and elegant wordplay. A celebration of artifice – in life and cinema – is evident in every frame. In the first section, edgy black and white cinematography captures seven brief stories of urban desolation, each ending with a death. In an audacious twist, the director switches to colour and more conventional camerawork to ‘flashback’ and reveal the connections between the seven and the (or not) option of the title. Playing with cinematic conventions and audience expectation, Pons creates something both modernist and classic. Note: In Catalan with English Subtitles + Back Room Guillem Morales, Spain 1999, 14m A close encounter between five men in a darkened room.

Duration:
90 minutes

Country of origin:
Spain

Year of production:
2000