Lauren Bailey - Reel/Unreel - Francis Alÿs

 The Francis Alÿs film was very intriguing to watch. In the beginning, he shows us these circle toys that the children play with. It seems that circles and rolling toys are a common theme in the objects the children in Kabul have available to play with. Then we start seeing the young boy unreel this film across a cliff, seeing the city in the background. Then some friends come to join him as they run down the mountainside and into the city with this reel. We eventually see there is another boy following the original boy rolling back up the reel behind him. As they run through this city, this shows us an in-depth look at a day in life in Kabul, Afghanistan. The marketplace, the crowds of people, animals, debris, workers, and living spaces. After we go through the downtown, the boys go back up the mountain again and he looks over all that he just ran through. The entire film gives the illusion of continuity that they went down the mountain, through the city, and back up the mountain. Another thing I noticed that the filmmaker chose to do was to let the camera bounce a little when the children are running, making you feel like you are running with the children. You know it was a choice and not just amateur filming because there are shots where the camera stays very still while tracking, so it was done with a purpose.

    The choice to have the film reels blue and red was a good choice because the background is so neutral. Everything is very beige, so the reels stick out boldly, becoming our center of attention. When they were rolling in the marketplace, there was more color shown. What the filmmaker did to still keep the reel the main focus, is to have a zoomed-in tracking shot following the rolling reel with it filling a lot of the frame.

    The sound was precisely chosen in every shot. You always hear the rolling of the reel when it is in motion. You hear the background noise wherever they are, which gives you a feeling of being right there. You hear the sounds of the loud trucks, the animals passing through, children running, noises of the crowds in the marketplace, musical instruments, and just the hustle and bustle of living there. One thing I noticed is when they zoomed in on the helicopter in the beginning, the only sound we hear is the helicopter. It isolates only on it, giving you the feeling of anxiousness, that it is an uneasy sound for the child. Also, when the kids are running back up the mountain in the end, you can hear the child's heavy breathing louder than usual. It makes you feel like he's rushing to catch up to the other kid.