Drawing Restraint 9
Written and directed by Matthew Barney
NR, 135 min.
Drawing Restraint 9
is not a movie. It is an art installation, a sculpture, a photographic slide show and a piece of performance art captured on film.
The 12-part
Drawing Restraint
series began in 1987 and has found the artist, Mathew Barney, restricted by giant rubber bands as he climbs an incline, bouncing on a trampoline or clamped into an athletic training device attempting to reach his drawing surface.
DR9
is the culmination of these projects, which use movement to create symbol and participate in ceremony.
Beginning with a series of disconnected images-two packages being carefully wrapped, a whaling ship, women diving for pearls, a parade and a crew of construction workers-the film follows
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two occidental guests, played by Barney and his longtime partner Björk, through a ceremonial union aboard the Japanese whaling ship. The sounds and soundtrack that surround scenes are those of the experimental music Björk is known for and has here expanded upon for the original score. Music replaces dialog in this visually powerful film where the characters speak only once, during a conversation that seamlessly blends three disparate languages (English, Icelandic and Japanese).
Every moment in the beautifully shot scenes has been blocked with minute precision. Each action is a symbol, making Barney's a world where everything truly does happen for a reason. What this reason is defies the typical sophomoric art criticism and makes deconstructing the nearly plotless film impossible.
DR9
is so obviously and intentionally esoteric that one can only say what each symbol is not, rather than attempt to define, and thereby disrespecting the experience and meaning.
As the film matures, what was once a peaceful transformation of person and object becomes ugly and violent. This transition of atmosphere causes a change in the audience, making viewers uncomfortable, forcing an active participation in the piece.
Though shown as film,
DR9
is an atypical work for movie lovers. It is for those ready to explore the edge of the most avant-garde and postmodern. The 2½ hour performance (and it should be seen as a performance and not a film in the strict sense of the word) leaves its audience dazed, dizzy and nearly unable to speak, while bursting with thoughts that refuse to be articulated. In essence
DR9
, like its predecessors, is an art installment and, like any provocative piece, its impetus is sure to evoke emotions, and begin conversations.
Drawing Restraint 9
plays Thursday, Aug. 31 at CCA. See the movie listings for showtimes.
