24th July 2010
LIFE IN A DAY
A snapshot, an ode to all of us, to our diversity on this planet of ours, to our laughter, our cries, our everyday rituals, out poverty, our riches, our hopes, our pets, our activities, our desires, our loves, our fears, even our toilets, Life in a Day was shot in a day by hundred of ordinary people, many requested through YouTube, others having been given cameras to record their lives on that day.
An emotionally engaging film, Life in a Day is structured along themes and visual lines, with entwined narratives giving it a sense of order and continuity. It has not only the support of YouTube, but also of Ridley Scott.
“People responded by submitting more than 80,000 videos representing over 4,500 hours of deeply personal, powerful films. Contributions poured in from 197 countries from Australia to Zambia, Peru to Ukraine, UK to Japan, from the heart of bustling cities to the furthest and most remote reaches of the earth. Many of the entries were submitted via YouTube whilst a number came from cameras that were handed out by contacts in the developing world.'' LIFE IN A DAY brings together the most compelling footage, combining 331 clips into a 95-minute film”.
A contemporary version of those photographic books published in the 70s and 80s: Life in a day in the live of (insert name of a city). In its formal composition, the film also reminds me of Godfrey Reggio's Koyaanisqatsi and Powaqqatsi (music by Philip Glass), a kind of a visual, musical and, above all, human symphony.
The score, by Harry Gregson-Williams and Matthew Herbert is absolutely beautiful. My kudos goes to the editor, Joe Walker: to have put all these hundreds of clips into a coherent whole is no mean task.
I went into the cinema fearing I was going to be bored, I was not. I laughed, I cried but, most of the time, I sat there, completely mesmerized. I cannot really described it any more, it has to be seen.
Director: Kevin McDonald and... hundreds of others.
Distributed by Scott Free.
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