Shot in 1972, first screened in 1973. Black / white 16 mm. 1 h 30.

Synopsis

A child, Xulon, is kept in a town under the power of a woman, Polis. More than once, he tries to assert himself by some personal actions, from which however he is at each time prevented by Polis. At last, he runs away, looking for “something else” which, after some unlucky attempts, he finds with Eteros. The two try to settle a deep and authentic relationship; nevertheless this doesn’t stand against Polis' will who comes to bring Xulon back. This mere fact is enough to make Eteros vanish, and Xulon let himself sink, up to be destroyed.  

Cineprose

The Other is a hypergraphic novel in “cineprose”. Hypergraphy has been unveiled in 1950 by Isidore Isou: it renews the novel – being outdated since Proust and Joyce – by replacing words by drawings, sculptures, pictures, architectures etc. organised in phrases. The “cinéprose” is the part of it where words are replaced by shots. Thus instead of writing « La femme prit le garçon par l’épaule » (the woman took the boy by his shoulder), the following shots will be spliced together:

1) a picture of the woman ;

2) the woman’s hand in movement ;

3) the boy ;

4) an insert where one can read « par » (by) ;

5) a close-up of the boy’s shoulder.

The insert titles, which give various conjunction words, are especially useful to remind the spectator of the linguistic structure of the film. The one in the theatre can decode each word to rebuild the sentence ; or be as a plain spectator and see the film rather than read it. Although this last attitude is less active, it preserves an emotion even for the less informed audience. For the aim of this film, before anything else, remains to move the spectator.

  Credits