Diaries, Notes, and Sketches

Jonas Mekas's 1968 film, also known as Walden, is made from the diary footage he shot of his life in sixties New York. Six reels wander among friends, family, the street and figures of the avant-garde art scene; many names, from Andy Warhol to John Lennon, pass through the frame. Mekas's method is not without shaping but is not planned either: he carried the camera constantly, shot a few frames, and moved on. The result is a structure showing that cinema can be a matter of attention rather than event. Sound and image are usually separate, with Mekas's own narration laid over. It is long and asks an unusual patience of the viewer. Who it's for: viewers interested in experimental cinema and the diary film form. Who it's not for: anyone wanting narrative, or who will find an experimental work of over three hours wearing.