Bereft of a Blissful Union
The blind Moroccan dancer Saïd Gharbi talks to a coat worn by an invisible figure; shards of amphoras sink underwater but then come together again as a vase; dancers drown in the water covered by a huge sheepskin on which a woman lies; women wearing dog masks pull men into the depths of the water, …
These absurd and surreal film images, inspired by Milorad Pavic’s story of Petkutin and Kalina, were part of the performance Bereft of a Blissful Union (1996). Both surprising and confusing, they introduce distant and strange worlds onto the screen and stage.
TEXTS & DIRECTION
Wim Vandekeybus
WITH
Iñaki Azpillaga, François Brice, Ursula Courtney-Robb, Carmelo Fernandez, Saïd Gharbi, Roni Haver, Mary Herbert, Thomas Lehnhart, Lieve Meeussen, Rasmus Olme, Florence Rougier, Ana Stegnar.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION
de Filmfabriek – Anne Quirynen
EDITING
Octavio Iturbe
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Philippe Guilbert
CAMERA ASSISTANT
Aliocha Van der Avoort
UNDERWATER CAMERA
Thierry Dabée
SOUND
Pierre Mertens
SOUND MIX
Etienne Curchod
ELECTRICIAN
Bruno Dussart, Christian Roosemont, Anne François
SPECIAL EFFECTS
Olivier De Laveleye
MASKS
Maggy Jacot
COSTUMES
Isabelle Lhoas
DECOR
Ultima Vez
Distribution
Ultima Vez
contact@ultimavez.com
Technical specifications
Year of production: 1996
Duration: 27'