er. 32 // Honest and Good - 2017
The er. [n°] serie consists of daily film experiments made during 90 consecutive days in India in 2017. Each film of this serie was created in 4 hours, including going outside, shooting, recording voice(s), coming back home, editing. Each film of this serie explores cinematography through a specific constraint.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- HONEST AND GOOD
The ashes of the stake are everywhere. In the air, on your clothes, on your skin, in your lungs. Your face is reddened by the heat of the flames. The skulls of burning bodies burst under the effect of heat while your eardrums whistle under the effect of the damroos and bells of the Shiva temples.
Manikarnika is not comparable with the other districts of Varanasi, the holiest city in India. The people of Manikarnika, those who live and work around the crematory platforms, have nothing comparable with the other inhabitants of Varanasi. Manikarnika is the heart of the city. The heart of India. All Hindu faith is concentrated here.
Navim is 23 years old. He was born there and spends whole nights gazing at the pyres of Manikarnika. He sleeps here, sometimes. He says he once saw and spoke with his soul, but people refuse to believe him.
So-called "Son of Shiva", he says his job is to give happiness to people.
Experiment: use a raw footage, uncut.