Fever is a bliss (2020)
Ine Lamers’ film asks questions about cultural identity on the basis of language. ‘Fever is a bliss’ exudes thoughts on how Northern Western capitalism ‘has won’ and how young generations from other parts of the world are trying to find their way through the maze of limited possibilities offered by the globalised (Western) world. We see a young Russian man in close-up. He tries to repeat English sentences, which are prompted to him by someone off camera. The man imitates the words and ‘tastes’ them but doesn’t seem to understand most of the content of what he is saying and has difficulty with the pronunciation. The situation becomes increasingly uncomfortable, but he perseveres. To what end?
The work of Dutch image- and filmmaker Ine Lamers comprises photography, film, text and drawings, presented in mixed media installations, often inquiries into the narrative potentialities of still and moving images. Since 2003 she has made various projects in the Russian hinterland. Lamers often focuses on the traces of communist utopia, which she finds in architecture, the city, the mentality and cultural life. She enjoys working with young people from the places she travels to. Through the resulting singular works and installations, which offer fragments, and block easy interpretation, Lamers activates overlooked stories and involves the viewer in her search.
single-channel video, 6:57 min.
cast: Sergey Budygin & Julia Shostak | text: Saskia de Jong | camera: Rob de Vree
