A stripped back portrait of two townscapes and the emotional currents that animate them. Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini noted that political protest is the degree zero of cinema – when a body of people come together to create an image and present their collective narrative. In Owen’s film, the march becomes symbolic of so much that has happened to England’s towns. The beat of anti-austerity protesters feet match the rhythm of aspirational shoppers parading down failing high streets. Mike, an ageing upbeat busker, fondly describes how he came to own a dog.
European Park/Extended Player
Spike Test Space, Bristol
September 2014