Seven directors and their view of time. Or maybe I should say six: Spice Lee's contribution might be interesting in another context, but seems misplaced here.
The opening quote by Marc Aurel and the interludes with the melancholic trumpet and the flowing water feel a bit cheesy if you look at them in 2016.
Several other reviewers have provided synopses for the segments, so I will only review the moments that stand out for me: The big old cook/nurse in Victor Erice's short that makes us not only understand, but feel the human bond of an extended, close-knit Spanish household a few decades ago.
The tuberculous Indian warrior Tari in Herzog's short documentary, holding the white alarm clock to his head. It makes you cringe, because the scene makes him look like a true savage, almost like an animal. It touches you, because we know and, more importantly, the Indian knows that his time has run out.
The strange mixture of female beauty, loneliness, silence, and comedy of Jim Jarmusch's segment.
Chen Kaige gives us the moment where a group of simple minded, modern" Chinese movers, who's brains have been dulled by the faceless progress that surrounds them, have a glimpse at the glory of their own unique past.
Most of these directors have the one unique gift, to make us feel interested in their story or characters after only a minute or two.
All in all, this collection of shorts does not always feel coherent, but maybe that wasn't the intention to begin with. It's like looking at short sketches of contemporary masters of cinema, and learning what they can do with 10 minutes of time, which is a lot. A very good way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
