Letters, Notes 2000

Directed by Stephanie Barber

Conceptually, Stephanie Barber's short film LETTERS, NOTES is simplicity itself: found photographs hold the screen as animated texts transcribe brief notes and letters unmoored from context. And yet the elusive poignancy that emerges of this exquisite corpse structure is richly suggestive of the roots of narrative. If a code is a "reduced version of lang." (as one of the more enigmatic notes reads) then Barber’s film might be said to explore the possibilities of decoding: specifically, how cinema makes it possible to rewrite sounds and images as emotions. LETTERS, NOTES is another remarkable selection from the Cinemad Almanac.