Rage

A film about the fashion industry yet with no fashion in it, Sally Potter has always been a name on the lips and pages of many film critics most hold her work up highly so I was intrigued to see what her work would be like as it seemed she explored film making in a way other directors didn't I've always wanted to see Orlando but I am yet to do so.

Rage was the first film to come out in the period that my interest in film as a medium of art existed and the premise was an interesting one, there is no action, well there is action but the action is limited its set in one place with the only scene changes being colorful backdrops possibly to match the characters personalities.

 Supposedly filmed by a school child on their mobile phone for a project on the fashion industry, the said child soon catches more than they could possibly bargain for we never see the film maker, nor hear their voice but their presence is felt as those who stare into the beholders lens react, taunt, teach and sometimes mock them. Taken to new extremes Potter could be possibly saying that in this age anyone with enough ambition, ideas and creativity can make a film although its more than obvious that this is not shot on some hand held device.

Potter allows for the actors to allow their characters to control the scene and screen for their emotions, movements, expressions to carry the film forward. There is a plot but we only hear sounds and see each characters reaction to the event that has supposedly just occurred.

The all star cast ranging from Judi Dench to Steve Buscemi to Jude Law and newer names such as Lily Cole and Riz Ahmed its a character study that allows for these characters to come into their own and some do more than other. Rage is a genuine piece of cinema that could have easily gone wrong but to be able to hold an audience for more than an hour with just head shots and sounds shows Potter's skill and her place as an auteur of cinema.