Bill Viola - Hatsu - Yumi

Hatsu Yumi (1981) is a rather odd, wordless cinematic montage of moving images from Japan, mostly featuring the natural world: oceans, forests, fields, fish, water, and later some modern urban settings.

I’m all for original cinema but the truth is that this is just rather boring, I’m afraid. If you wake up at 3.30am and have trouble falling back to sleep, just grab your duvet, take it to the sofa and watch a few minutes of this film – next thing you know, it’ll be morning.

Perhaps that’s the key, because Hatsu Yumi means ‘first dream’ and the film certainly has a dream-like quality. Many of the images are shot in slow motion and it is incredibly relaxing to watch. There are a few shots that make you think “now here is an artist at work,” and I give the film credit for those.

But as a whole, this film is unlikely to appeal to anyone not under the influence of chemicals. Maybe there is some subtle underlying message here about darkness and light, ancient and modern, but the truth is, it’s just not very interesting or entertaining.

If you’re interested in a non-verbal cinematic exploration of the contrasts between natural and man-made environments, such a film was made the following year in 1982. It is called Koyaanisqatsi (Life out of balance), directed by Godfrey Reggio, and it’s better on every count: cinematography, sound, impact, visual interest and underlying meaning.

What was Bill Viola trying to achieve? Perhaps only he knows. Quite bizarre. 4/10.

It made my musceles twist, then I ended up with a horrible headache and threw up.

Infact, am keeping this film for tourchering my in-laws.

So beautiful I fell asleep. The I woke up and watched it again...