What is "Talking Heads"?
In a significant passage of time, Kieslowski, the director of films such as Three Colors: Red, The Double Life of Veronique, and Blind Chance, while still in his homeland, Poland, made a simple documentary. Yet, through generations, it would echo the vision of a people who lived through war, a people who wanted, above all, dignity. The interviewees range from children, adults, to the elderly... All had a dream despite the global chaos. Mundane dreams. And what defines a "mundane" dream? We are made of desires; these desires are molds for an entire society. Consequently, based on reality, common dreams demonstrate the social decay of a place. After all, no one wants to be a famous artist if they don't even have money to buy a simple instrument. This leads us to a severe question of what is or isn't limited: is it possible to dream in a disastrous world?
Dreams... While we are led by a visually heavy documentary, we are also stimulated to compare the current global reality with that of the 1930s-1970s. They are distinct realities when we talk about how the world has changed. The post-war period was perhaps the greatest mold for society in history. Coming from religious, racial, and class persecutions... All of this generates unease in those who lived around it but didn't even participate. And fear, sooner or later, would reach our home; it would knock on the door and ask: "Can you still go on?" And the answer was yes, not because human beings were emotionally stronger, but because, in the face of everything that was happening, death was already an option if the worst occurred. Therefore, Talking Heads demonstrates how sad the Polish, and even global, worldview was.
Thus, the film has a high social status not due to its technical quality, filming style, etc., but because it is a living document. And this document reflects in today's society a worldview that life has improved. But has it really improved?
First, there are wars. Israel... Russia... USA... Political interests haven't changed; what has indeed changed are the media forms we have contact with. In the USA, they won't broadcast gratuitous army violence, just as in Brazil, China... There is a method of emotional control that, when put into use, employs narratives to gain population support, something used in World War II. This narrative collaborates with a patriotic movement where, through the manipulation of facts, cases like immigrants in the USA are heavily criminalized – all with public support. And so I ask: is Talking Heads so current, or is it just a coincidence?
Lack of education is increasingly present in today's society; consequently, knowledge becomes much more outdated, something murky in the minds of those who, for some reason, left school. We have cases of simple analogies like Chicken Run, even simpler contexts like that of Oppenheimer, and many people cannot contextualize them. But it's not because they are incapable; it's because something or someone taught them that school wasn't of utmost importance, being an impediment so that, during election times, the narrative would be more effective. Therefore, for the government, the lack of information ends up being important.
What the Film Teaches Us (Life Lesson)
Perhaps the most human part of the film is the way people felt seen. They felt part of something greater, part of a true society that sought affection. Social affection is much, much more important than romantic affection. It's as if your life gains meaning; you begin to have objectives, you give rhythm to your own narrative. It is a form of attention, something akin to seeing oneself as a human being.
The short film discusses how a human being can be fragile, disarmed... Like a boy who liked to read books, a little girl who just wanted to have a family, a centenarian lady... Do you understand the weight of this in context? It's about humanizing pain, feeling like more than just flesh and bone. We have a vast consciousness of memories, sensations, learnings... It's all about understanding that amidst governance, people need and must feel individualized. Therefore, the government's role is literally practiced by the film: to see, feel, validate, and value the population's pain, love, and fear.
Finally, when people talk about Talking Heads, I hope it is with the intention of value, love, and affection. It is a film that seeks to understand society and war through the population. It's something beautiful! And if two thousand years from now they study past society, I hope they find this film. That they mold a peaceful vision around this social chaos that was, and is, society.
Talking Heads is more than a film; they are memories of people who are no longer with us, but their dreams are. And that carries weight. And from the moment someone watches this film, it becomes ever more grand and necessary than its simplicity allows. It's not a burden, it's a lesson.
#talkingheads #shortfilm #1940 #kieslowski
If this reflection on Talking Heads and the power of human dreams moved you, experiencing Krzysztof Kieślowski's work firsthand is essential. The Criterion Collection has released a stunning Blu-ray box set, "Three Colors Trilogy & Double Life of Véronique," which includes Talking Heads as a remarkable special feature. This collection is not only a masterpiece of film preservation but also the perfect way to delve deeper into the director's profound and humane vision of society.
You can explore this definitive collection via our affiliate link below. It supports our work at C&C at no extra cost to you, allowing us to continue sharing thoughtful analyses of films that matter.
👉 Discover the Books Collection on Amazon: The Death of Ivan Ilyich
👉 Discover the Kiéslowski Collection on Amazon: Three colors collection
Post a Comment