Berlinale 2024: In Praise of Slowness (Forum Expanded) | Review
In Praise of Slowness is a cinematic gesture seeking to capture a reality before it dissipates. Hicham Gardaf’s short film invites viewers to contemplate the disappearing routine of Tangier’s bleach sellers, threatened from the urban landscape by inevitable modernization.
In Praise of Slowness is a documentary short film directed by Hicham Gardaf, about to celebrate its European premiere at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival, within the Forum Expanded strand. The film offers an immersion into the daily life of a bleach vendor in Tangier, an important coastal city in northern Morocco that has undergone rapid evolution in recent years, largely due to its role as a hub of trade facilitated by the construction of its large passenger and cargo port, Tanger Med.
From the opening moments, through dissonant music and vintage aesthetics, the film captures the precarious reality of these men who transport plastic containers throughout the city, a profession destined to disappear in an ever-changing world. As the film unfolds, the viewer is confronted with an atmosphere of uncertainty and fragility, symbolized by the opening shot of the man carrying his containers towards a twilight horizon. This directorial choice forcefully evokes the idea of a profession in decline, slow but inevitable.
Presented as a documentary essay, the film meticulously observes the repeated actions and daily routine of these workers who resist, albeit struggling, against rampant capitalism. Their daily lives, marked by the repetition of tasks and the struggle for economic survival, become the stage for a silent struggle against the forces of modernity.
Through subtle and innovative editing, the director gets us to look at this tradition of street vendors, penetrating the sonic and visual space of residential neighborhoods during their passage. Encounters with city residents, whether direct or simply through the announcements of the ambulant vendor echoing into homes, as well as exchanges with local merchants, reveal the place of these vendors in Tangier’s social fabric, even as their profession faces extinction.
With a unique, experimental style, In Praise of Slowness takes the time to observe these street vendors before they vanish. The film carefully examines them physically, as well as their work, as if to take one last look at this reality destined to fade away. This cinematic gesture seeks to freeze time, or at least photograph it before it dissipates. The film also celebrates the resilience and strength of those who strive to preserve their traditional way of life. This documentary short, both contemplative and engaging, invites viewers to meditate on the value of time and the often invisible consequences of irreversible progress.
