Notes for a Democratic Europe

February24,2022:RussiantroopsarefloodingintoUkraine.Aftertheinitialshock,howdoyourespond?ForMarineHugonnier,itwasbyusingherownweapons–filmandimages–drivenbywhatshedescribesas,“adesiretocreateacommonfrontandacommonimage”.Thisisherdeclaredagenda.Shetakesatwo-prongedapproach,firsttravellingtothePolishborderandfilmingonceshearrives.Then,transportingsuppliestoKyiv.So,thefilmopenswithgrainyblackandwhite16mmimagesofafamiliarbutcontradictoryworld:arandomrailwaystation,butastationthatalsoconjuresupalltheiconicimagesofexodusesinEuropeanhistory,ofwhichtherearesadlysomany.Insidethedimly-litstationatnight–thecameraisplacedinthemiddleofacrowdedcorridor.Abustlingcrowd–mostlywomenandchildren–gesturesandabrouhahawhichresonatelikeasinglevoice.Thefilmunfoldsfromhiscentralpoint,fromoneencountertothenext,storytostory,toldbyrefugeesandthosewhohavecometohelpthem.Itfindsitsstrengthintheshotsoffaces,composedalmostlikeportraits.Facesandtheirstories;thedecisiontoremovethemallowsusbothtobothtolistenandpaycloseattention.Thesefiguresseemsuspendedbetweenthepoweroftheirwordsandtheobstinatephysicalpresenceoftheirbodiesthere:liketheyoungfemaledoctorwhohasdecidedtoreturntoUkrainetocareforthesick,ortheyoungmanwhohascometofight.Creatingacommonimagethereforeconsistsofleavinganimprintonthefilmwiththecameralikea“bodyprojectedinthepresent”.DespitethefacttheseimageswereshotinMarch2022,thetroublingparadoxisthattheyalreadyseemtobeartheweightofhistory.Thisislikeafrozenmoment,atthepointwhenthewarhadonlyjustbecomeathreatratherthanarealitycrushingbothbodiesandthelandscape.　　源自：https://fidmarseille.org/en/film/dispatch-from-przemysl-notes-for-a-democratic-europe/