Still from Daisies

Daisies (1966) is a film by Věra Chytilová, part of the Czech New Wave. It is commonly labeled a “feminist farce” and was banned at the time for promoting and glamourising anarchy. And it’s true – the film made anarchy look crazy fun so consider me converted!! I saw this film the other week and my god it has changed me creatively. I was on Twitter at the right place at the right time when I saw Nowness post about it. I thought it was a photography project because they featured only stills but when I found it was an ENTIRE FILM of aesthetically pleasing feminist insanity?!! I. was. thrilled.

The concept of the film is simple enough: two teenage girls named Marie unrepentantly wreak havoc and leave a symphony of disaster in their wake. The imaginative editing, the girls’ flippant delivery of their characters, the colourful cinematography – I loved every bizarre moment and used some of it as inspiration for my own self portrait assessment. I dare say I would love to play around with this style more and create a more substantial work at some point.

It is definitely considered an avant-garde creation with its unconventional…everything. The structure is quite vignette-like with no obvious arc until the last 15 minutes of the film where its political aspects are explored a little more candidly (but no less fun!). We don’t really see the girls travel to any of their destinations nor talk about their future plans which makes each scene appear quite unrelated to each other. There’s a spontaneity in Chytilová’s chosen settings which add to the great dynamic of the film – in their bedroom one moment then a remote flower field the next with not a city in sight. The cuts in between are brisk and unpretentious, sometimes with a a frantic slew of textures flashing one after the other creating a sort of hallucinogenic daze. The editing in general features a lot of single colour tinting and many close ups – enough to disorient the audience. It really mirrors the girls’ volatility and single mindedness.

Another highlight is the use of sound, especially in scenes where the two girls are waddling whilst dissonant chords are stabbing in staccato with each step. I love their relatively naturalistic dialogue delivered in such a stylised fashion – there’s something very Brechtian about how the film reminds the audience that these are actors playing a scene.

I did the workshop through ACMI’s Intermix program (which I would recommend to anyone!!) and I spent two full days attending various panels and afterwards interviewing some of the people in them. Highlights were Jennifer Peedom (director of the BAFTA-nominated documentary Sherpa), Lindsay Crouse (producer of New York Times’ Op Docs), and Katy Morrison (producer of virtual reality company, VRTOV).

I have always enjoyed documentaries but have never studied them to such a scale. Here were some of the brightest in documentary media making and it was such an honour to be able to ask them questions. Exploring the development of virtual reality was especially fascinating as it seems to be well on the rise. It is slowly becoming charted territory with so much potential to expand truth and experience, as well as bringing up some questions on ethics and the responsibility of creators towards the audience. There were some interesting discussion on VR and genre but they seem to be leaning towards social justice films and journalism.

Peedom’s Sherpa moved me greatly and incensed me when required. She portrayed the community and the tragedy they underwent with such dignity as well showing the frustrating contrast between the Sherpa community who need a living despite the fatal risks and the careless Westerners who tend to exploit them. It was also a good lesson in the ethics of film making and director sensibilities when it comes down to how faithfully we tell the truth and story.

The Op Docs talk was just fun because there was so much genuine passion and support for the independent artists featured and creating them. I also loved the variety of subjects and styles they tackled – they really did just want to feature interesting people and their interesting stories, both the mundane and the grand.