The End of An Era Review Review
The End of an Era is an art-house short documentary directed by Alexander Vanegas Sus.
There is an instant nostalgia that is completely undeniable when one looks at anything filmed in Super8. From the very beginning The End of An Era offered a poetic look utilizing this oft forgotten medium of capturing images.
The instantly arresting voiceover narrative from Rose Muirhead hooked me even long before the first shot of the film. Throughout the entire piece the narrative offered is extremely well thought out and cohesive. The audio quality is technically superb and the entire experience was what I would describe as absorbing tranquility.
As someone who has long dreamt of going to Japan this short film only makes that yearning stronger. Opening the entire piece with a single shot of cherry blossoms was the perfect symbol for the beauty that Japan has to offer. It is obvious that Sus became as enamored with the culture as so many others who have traveled to the country before.
The seamless transition from Super8 to digital film, as on one hand a metaphor for moving from the old to the new, the rural to the city, had me amazed. It again only cemented the meticulous nature to which Vanegas Sus approached making this film a reality. There was not a frame that I looked at that didn’t impress me throughout.
I know this film is classified more as a documentary but to me it feels almost like a beautiful hybrid between documentary and narrative fiction. It takes moments to present us with shades of both. To take things from the lowest common denominator this has to be the most beautiful and artistic home movie of a trip I have ever seen. As if we were in the living room of Vanegas Sus watching clips from his adventures in Japan while he tells us all about the wondrous moments he experienced. Like we were back in the 1960s or 70s joined together in communal splendor looking at a world we had never seen before.
It is this careful craftmanship I hope that carries Alexander Vanegas Sus to a wonderful career in film. I think he has an amazing eye for details and I am so glad that I had the chance to sit down with this film. I very much look forward to seeing more of his work as he creates and I highly recommend anyone to sit down with this short film when it becomes widely available.
To follow on social media: Director Instagram, Narrator Instagram, Composer Instagram, Sound Designer Instagram, and Akihiro Furugo Instagram.
Cheers!
Daniel Hess
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