What happens when nothing happens? We explore 4 films that resist the heroic and spectacular which are so foreign to our experience of the everyday. They are unconcerned with epic obstacles, bookends and grand conclusions. These films use documentary techniques to tell a fiction, blurring the lines of true and false and searching for the miraculous in the average. Often they involve non-actors and the means of production are minimal with filmmakers utilizing the resources available to them to imitate what they would consider an ordinary day. We shine light on the everyday because it is common ground for audiences to consider the effects of political and historical circumstance on the private lives of ordinary people.

This week a short by Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho — a master of showcasing beauty in subtle human moments. The rhythm of this short is in tune with the sounds of domestic appliances — timers ticking, microwaves beeping, fans lulling. Watch until the end to see what our protagonist’s watch timer is counting down toward!

The simplicity of his synopsis says it all: “The middle class. Brazil in the 90s. At 220 volts.”

https://vimeo.com/10022944