Danses macabres, squelettes et autres fantaisies

The film opens with a shot of the three directors sitting on a stone pavement while they smoke and laugh at the bleating of a goat that passes by in the hands of its owner. It’s a relaxed scene that seems like a peculiar choice to open a film in which a writer (Schefer) explains his hypothesis about the “Danse Macabre” genre as what marked the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern Europe, but the fact is that the film is full of moments like this one that take place in between the Schefer’s always fascinating monologues. That sense of joy, of camaraderie, of everyone having a great time, is present throughout the entire film. Azevedo Gomes is in charge of capturing the conversations between Léon and Schefer, and the framing of the interviews as well as the shots of paintings and natural landscapes are always beautiful and full of meaning. (Mar del Plata International Film Festival)