I did not totally understand sonnet 124 when I read it; or rather I did not get the detail even if the general sweep of the point was there. Interestingly it was the same with the film itself, since that also took me a couple of viewings to understand what part of the text it had picked up on and delivered. The references to politic, policy, and something that is able to stand against the fleeting nature of things, all of this seems to be what it plays against as it is set in Ellis Island and is very much referencing current policy/debate.
In doing this it doesn't really provide a reading of the text, so much as using it to fit into an agenda. In some ways this works because it does make you engage with the film to understand its point; however in other ways it is disappointing as it does not make the text more accessible to the viewer. The presentation does feel like one that was found in the editing suite, rather than having a clear vision. It also has a 'student film' vibe to it which I didn't care for at first (with the rewound footage, snaps of words, shots of water etc) but in the end the presentation makes the point, so it does work. An interesting film, if not really in the way I wanted it to be.
In doing this it doesn't really provide a reading of the text, so much as using it to fit into an agenda. In some ways this works because it does make you engage with the film to understand its point; however in other ways it is disappointing as it does not make the text more accessible to the viewer. The presentation does feel like one that was found in the editing suite, rather than having a clear vision. It also has a 'student film' vibe to it which I didn't care for at first (with the rewound footage, snaps of words, shots of water etc) but in the end the presentation makes the point, so it does work. An interesting film, if not really in the way I wanted it to be.