The Slow Business of Going

Wonderful, hypnotic, beautiful. What a treat it is to see such personal endeavor come to fruition. Congratulations to everyone involved. From hi-fi to lo-fi, all the elements are here and it all works. The Slow Business of Going is pure poetry of mood, light, character and silver halide.

I watched this movie a few months ago at the 2001 Anchorage film festival and was captured within the first few scenes. As a friend said, "It told a story through film better than it could have been told by a book or on stage. That is rare." Petra Going works for the Global Nomad Project-she and the other employees travel the world and download their memories into a video catalogue of history though the eyes of a tourist. Just as each country has its own culture, so does each scene...both in the style and format. Absurd, confusing, fast, or slow-professional filming, handicam, or animation. The film omits explanitory dialogue entirely-like a tourist you have to piece the puzzle together through observation.

Each of the characters in the film has his own understanding of the world, but the film doesn't give preference to one opinion or another. Several radically opposing viewpoints are communicated without apparent bias.

I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys travel and independant film.