Central Park

Frederick Wiseman's 1990 documentary watches the New York park across a season. Runners, concerts, parades and picnics follow one another. The documentary also takes the park as a question of administration. Budget meetings, maintenance work and permit applications go on the record; the narrative shows that public space stands not by itself but through continuous labour. Wiseman's method uses no narrator, no music and no interviews. It runs long, and the editing builds meaning by placing scenes beside each other. Who it's for: those who like observational documentary and studies of institutions. Who it's not for: viewers who want to be guided; the documentary explains nothing.