The Practice of Loneliness
From the Archives
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19-Dec-2018
Brie adapts a new practice, a lifestyle of loneliness to achieve her highest self. Written and directed by Ester Song Kim, “The Practice of Loneliness,” is a stylish anti-rom-com about seeking happiness in solitude. Shot on nostalgia-soaked 8mm film, and featuring actors dubbed into French (though it takes place in Los Angeles, and the actors appear to be speaking English), Kim’s film revels in its out of time / out of place contradictions. And the contradictions extend to its protagonist as well — as Brie tries to reassure herself that she doesn’t need affection, she still finds ways to be with Allen, a man who’s not her type but provides some intimacy. Wrangling with her personal rules, at first keeping her distance, then moving in, then pulling back, her “practice” appears compromised, but she always finds justification. Rebecca Hoobler is beguiling as the ambivalent Brie, and film is artfully crafted around her with picturesque lo-fi visuals, and French pop song flourishes.
Written and directed by Ester Song Kim. Starring Rebecca Hoobler, Victor Muñoz, Ben Levin. Voices of Sarah Mathieu, Leo Hardt, Martin Gaillard. Cinematography and editing by Robby Massey.
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