About

Among her most formally daring films, Yvonne Rainer was inspired to make Journeys from Berlin/1971 whilst living in West Berlin during the political tension of the 1970s. The film uses the framing device of a woman attending several therapy sessions; there, she contemplates the nature of repression, state violence, and the possibilities of revolution. Though couched in the milieu of post-war Germany, the intellectual scope of the film extends broadly to consumerism, despotism, nihilism, and beyond. The musings of the central figure – played by art and film critic Annette Michelson – are accompanied by readings and commentary from unseen voices. Their reflections are brought together in an absorbing collage, giving way to moments of humour and piercing analysis.

Ages 15+