HEADSPACE
DOCUMENTING THE SPACE BETWEEN
DOCUMENTARY 2020 VICTORIA A+ GRADE
Paul Wolffram's first feature documentary Stori Tumbuna had completely taken me by the sinister way it unfurled; the beauty of Samsara was one of my first thoughts when the genre was invoked. I've done a few 'documentaries' before, as a film student does, but I was always terrified of making something that looked like it belonged on news television. Me, We was a poetic/reflexive documentary before I even knew what that was; This is Not a Video Essay was probably a video essay; and I've cut a considerable number of montage-style memories.
I knew I wanted a story - however minuscule it was - to be told before the camera, in the moment.
Think of the way that Casting JonBenet turned a mystery from twenty-five years ago into a story of ambition, perception, and folklore, right before the camera. Or, the way that The Act of Killing reinvents the Indonesian mass-killings through transferring auterial control. It was clear, in any case, that we could not make anything anywhere near as traumatic: ethical considerations were at the forefront of our mind, and we met with Eva and to discuss at great length what she felt comfortable with. I was interested in the story she felt had to be told. There was something about the ambiguity of the condition - the contrasts in information of medical professionals - its invisibility and varying severity. She painted the experience itself in the clearest picture.
There was something about the ambiguity of the condition. She painted the experience itself in the clearest picture.
Shay Lomas (my co-creator) had known about Eva's past for a while. There was a lot to unpack, and I think for Shay it was difficult to be inquisitive from such a close standpoint. Often subjects have been asked many of the obvious questions before, and have had time to consider their answer. Shay and I entered with these questions, but I wanted to respond to her answers in an extremely naturalistic way. When something comes into your head, ask: when it's something Eva never thought about before, you see her thoughts and memories play in real-time. These are the key moments, contextualized with exposition, that the documentary is built upon.
I think Eva has recovered remarkably. She looks incredibly strong. In our pursuit of narrative, her resolve confronted us.