La Jetee (1963)

 Chris Marker's "La Jetee"

Although it is a 'short' film (with only 28 minutes in length), Chris Marker's "La Jetee" has the same effect and influence as anything considered "feature length." And unlike other films, La Jetee" is composed completely of stills and uses a voiceover to narrate the story. Does that even qualify this as a 'film?' I would argue yes. 

In fact, the exclusive use of stills only aids in the film's concept. It centers on a prisoner in a post-apocalyptic Paris who is used as a lab rat for the experiments of scientists attempting to travel in time. Because our prisoner has such a deep connection to his past, this makes him the perfect subject. While 'visiting' the past, he is able to reach out and connect to a woman he once saw when he was a child. As the experiment continues day-by-day, his time spent with her is his only solace.

The use of stills is thematically valuable in two ways. Firstly, the notion of a post-apocalyptic environment makes the use of stills seem logistically relevant. It adds an eeriness and perhaps even suggests that films itself has become a disintegrated concept. Secondly, because the film deals with dreams and memories, stills are able to illustrate and conceptualize these concepts more effectively. We look back at our memories and dreams as fragments, not as a continuous or coherent passing of time. 

There are many interpretations to the films over the years. Many consider the post-nuclear aspects of the film integral to its message: the inevitability of humanity's thrusts towards self-destruction. Others pull far more from the science-fiction elements of the story. The experiments with time demonstrate the ultimate notion that you can't escape from the present moment. Time is a flat circle and a loop to boot. Some of the narrative themes on time and their explanations remind me a lot of one of my own personal favorite television series, "Lost," which shares in eerily similar plot points with one of its characters, Desmond Hume. 

One of the thematic points I've pulled from the story revolves around the scientists' exploitation of its prisoners. Not only do they use him to ensure the present moment comes to pass, the final revelation clarifies their hand in the whole plot. They basically used a man's entire life for their own experiments and political gains. With the growing power of political actors in our modern world, it certainly feels like our lives as individuals are being exploited.

The thematic factors and the construction of the visual and narrative story make "La Jetee" one of the most unique experiences ever put to film. It IS a film for anyone questioning. And the desire to go back and re-experience its endless possibilities makes it one of the most remarkable films, not only of its time, but of all time.