Synopsis:

L'observatrice Détachée (The Detached Observer) is a visual journey created to challenge the senses of the titular observer (and us), forcing her to question her perceptions of the past, present and future as well as the enforcement of societal expectations, ideologies, and systematic imprisonment.

The narration is underlined with music played on keyboards, bringing just the necessary drop of drama to it. There is no doubt that the text is the king in The Detached Observer, and the visual is just another resource to emphasize it.

In The Detached Observer we listen to the inner voice of the soul of an artist who seeks serenity through her production. The non-conformism that has ignited so many masterpieces in History of Art can be spotted here. This existential crying out is mostly in its valuable text, that is interpreted in the film with an adequate tone of narration, balancing emotion and coldness, which indicates a state of calm after the storm.

Therefore, the movie presents an animation built in most part of collages of photos that tries to metaphorically represent what is narrated. In this sense, buildings are the social rigidity, the water is the overwhelming pressure coming from others, while the multiplication of images communicate the quantities or varieties that the text unfolds. The style of the animation reveals influences of the animated sequences in Monty Python’s sketches along with the digital effects.

The text is so deep in the existential questionings of the author that becomes overwhelming. It is impossible to absorb the whole of its deep content in the first viewing. In fact, The Detached Observer demands multiple viewings. And the richness of the text can really be appreciated when you watch it repeatedly, each time one sentence discloses a new discovery that frees a different detail of what afflicts the author. On the other hand, we miss a scathing sentence, and corresponding audiovisual outcome, to properly conclude this piece of work from an artist who goes from chaos to creation. 

Whether the creator Serena Marija will pursuit a career in films is not clear. But certainly, she will explore art to soothe her inquiring soul. 

Film Critic, the founder of Leitura Filmica