Or Nothing (The Double)
Jem COHEN
- USA
- 2022
- 23min
- 12 +
- DCP
- color
Korean Premiere
Synopsis
A drummer and guitarist on a rooftop high above New York City. What is ‘The Double’? A beat, a song, a trance, a mystery, or just a celebration…?
Review
Or Nothing (The Double) is an essay film that connects the principles of music without a fixed framework into a single theme. A network of musical friendships and artistic collaborations is the theme and what the film is all about. The camera captures two musicians playing on the roof of a building with an urban landscape. The musicians are experienced drummer Jim White and guitarist Emmett Kelly. The one-shot film’s ever-changing scenes, wind, eye contact between two musicians, and musical performance take the audience to the climax. The film represents Jem Cohen’s style closely connected to the music.
Director
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Jem COHEN
New York based filmmaker Jem Cohen has made over 70 films. His works are in the collections of MoMA and Whitney Museum, and D.C.’s National Gallery of Art. We Have an Anchor, a multi-media show with live music, was a main stage production at Brooklyn Acadamy of Music’s Next Wave and London’s Barbican. Cohen has worked extensively with musicians including Patti Smith, Fugazi, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, R.E.M., Terry Riley, Xylouris White, DJ Rupture, and Vic Chesnutt.