This past Tuesday, I attended a speech given by modern-day-filmographer Michelle Handelman. I was there as a requirement for a class, and walked into the lecture hall with the sole intention of taking the required notes and leaving in time to catch the next episode of “The Mindy Project”.
Handelman started out by describing her reasoning for the title of the speech (“Gloom with a View”), explaining how “life is pretty gloomy,” and how her “optimism is the view,” especially during the obstacles presented to her. She suffered the loss of her parents’ marriage, a brother who became an alcoholic and a stepfather who died. Despite these tragedies, she remains optimistic: “It’s all about digging myself out of the gloom, and walking along this unsteady, unstable ground we all walk on every day”.
She then launched into an explanation of her three most recent projects; “The Delicate Monster”, “Dorian, a cinematic perfume”, and “Irma Vep, the Last Breath”. She showed us a couple clips of her work, which can only be described as unique. Her films sometimes involve live performances, are often projected on multiple screens, including intricate costumes and characters.
Throughout her speech, I was interested, yet mystified by the ways her mind worked. As an inexperienced and uncultured film viewer, her abstract pieces shocked me, and were far from anything I had ever witnessed. It wasn’t until her last piece “Irma Vep, the Last Breath”, when I began to appreciate and admire her work. This piece was based on Irma Vep, an actress known for her work as the heroine in the 1915 French film, “Les Vampires”. Irma Vep’s rise to fame was through the movies, though her popularity quickly diminished as she was unable to find further work in the film industry. At the end of her life, she worked as a ticket taker at her local theaters; the world had forgotten her name, face, and story. This piece featured Irma Vep as her character in “Les Vampires”, and also included an older Irma, one who was reaching old age with her glory days well behind her. Handelman focuses on mortality, and what it means to be alive in this film. I could see a story, portrayed in an abstract way, and I found it completely fascinating.
While leaving the lecture hall, I was inspired by the creativity and complex thinking behind her work. All her art was so meaningful, and held much significance behind the exotic characters and unique plotlines. Without her interpretation and explanation, I would have viewed her films and probably been completely perplexed at the peculiar ways she portrayed a story. However, with the illustration of her ideas and explanation of the workings of her mind, I was able to cherish her art. I went home with a newfound idea of art, and what it means to push the boundaries of traditional limits and expectations. Michelle Handelman is definitely an innovator in this sense, and it was a privilege to hear her speak.