Ardent Other

The title refers to the contamination of rye ergot, a hallucinatory disorder from the Middle Ages that caused several episodes of collective madness. What madness is being referred to in this literally hallucinated film? In the first few minutes, we don't know what's happening, or what event this crowd is witnessing. It brings to mind Chris Marker's series of photos, where he took pleasure in capturing people in front of an eclipse, both ridiculous and amused. However, the atmosphere here is heavier. The power of off-screen construction creates a tension, very palpable. It is intensified by the presence of the fire that we will never see but remains etched in our memory. The flames devouring Notre-Dame de Paris seem to also consume the minds. The shift from real footage to the modeling of bodies also allows us to slip into the thousand conversations that the event has sparked, thanks to an impressive sound creation. Between conspiracy theories, bewilderment, sadness, and even stupor, the film is traversed by a range of ultra-contemporary affects, whipped by the History being written (or undone).

Benoît Hické
Programmer and teacher