Fall Equinox

Shot in one day on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in central California, James Benning's twin films, Spring Equinox and Fall Equinox, portray the natural landscape in spring and autumn. We move from point to point and admire the view, focused but relaxed. Each subsequent frame is carefully composed and devoid of any intrusive contrivances-the fragment of the world being observed is the most important part. Walls of trees and constellations of stone. A light wind that shakes the branches and pushes along banks of fog. An idyllic light that makes sure that the shadows hiding here and there have not an element of mystery about them. In the background can be heard the singing of birds, interspersed once in a while with more resounding noises, the growling of animals or a din that is difficult to identify. Only this and nothing more; nothing but a sense of immersion in reality, so primitive and pure that it goes far beyond conventional documentary cinema. (New Horizons International Film Festival)