The Inner Scar

There is no narrative in this Philippe Garrel film, almost no dialogue, and the location keeps changing: desert, ice, sand, fire. Nico is the lead, the music and the voice behind the texts, and the film is a direct product of their relationship at the time. Figures walk naked or in long cloaks, shout, lose each other, and the frames open out in very long takes. It was shot in places as far apart as Iceland, Egypt and the American deserts, and none of them is used as geography; they are all parts of one interior landscape. It is among the most extreme examples of early seventies French experimental cinema and remains a difficult watch. Who it is for: viewers interested in experimental film and in Nico's period. Who it is not for: anyone looking for a story, since the film deliberately tells none.