UN CHANT D’AMOUR (1950) | Dir: Jean Genet | I’m fairly certain I saw this short film in grad school, after I had seen references to it in reviews for Todd Haynes’ POISON and Tom Kalin’s SWOON. It was Genet’s only film. Using stark black and white 16mm film, Genet depicts two men in prison, in adjacent cell blocks, who are desperately in need of connection and physical affection and devise a way to communicate using cigarettes and openings in the walls. There is no dialogue in the film, only images, some of them explicit, stirring up controversy and even threats of arrest to distributors and exhibitors who dared screen the film for the public. One case reached the U.S. Supreme Court where in a 5-4 ruling the justices deemed the film was obscene. I found the film both erotic and funny, at times. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure, but it serves as a reminder to me from time to time not to be too afraid in my work, to try to be courageous when taking on topics or ideas or memories that might make me uncomfortable or vulnerable. I want to be as brave as Genet.
