It’s one of the oldest rules in the book, or at least the most resilient since the early ’90s: if Christopher Doyle was involved in a film, said film will look beautiful at every moment. Whether or not Mark Cousins‘ newest documentary, I Am Belfast, stands out for any other reason remains to be seen, but the first trailer is nevertheless a solid showcase for the Australian-Chinese cinematographer’s skill for clarity, depth, shape, and light. Considering the experiential angle being aimed for, that’s as decent a start as any.
Described in every known listing as “a city symphony,” it finds Belfast’s unique properties through aesthetic appreciation and a bit of fidgeting with concepts of what does and doesn’t “fit” within documentary cinema. That’s all well and good as is, and if the picture does, as early reviews have suggested, prove the first to fully realize Cousins’ love of cinema and desire to create something in service to his masters, I’ll be thrilled.
Watch the trailer below:
Synopsis:
A surprising and moving city symphony seen through fresh eyes. The history of a contested city is told with heart-warming humanity as Belfast is embodied in a wise and wonderful 10,000-year-old woman. Beautifully photographed by Wong Kar-wai’s cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Cousins’ film is inspired by Soviet cinema, Patrick Keiller and Terence Davies, and boasts a dramatic soundtrack from Belfast-born DJ and composer David Holmes. I Am Belfast is both political and romantic, not drama and not quite documentary. Offering a new and passionate portrayal of this inspirational city, it reminds us all how deeply the essence of our home towns can remain within us, even when we have left them and they continue to change in our absence.
I Am Belfast will open in the U.K. and hit BFI Player on April 8.