In the City of Sylvia

Reviewed by J. Lunden on May 31, 2011

José Luis Guerín’s In the City of Sylvia is a stirringly poetic conceit. The film is about a young artist chasing the memory of a lost love through the streets of Strasbourg. He watches the women of the city, sketching their faces in an attempt to read (or translate) his own memories. The film has very little dialogue, choosing instead to communicate through movement and setting (all beautifully captured by Natasha Braier’s cinematography and sharply constructed by editor Núria Esquerra). In this way, Guerín’s film is more an evocation of a primal ache than a linear narrative. The film’s contemplative constructs and esoteric urban choreographies invite a kind of rare visual observation. Even when Guerín’s meditation occasionally veered towards frivolity, I found the experience of In the City of Sylvia most welcome.

I’m a tad perplexed by Cinema Guild’s transfer. I understood that the film was originally shot on 16mm, yet the packaging claims that the transfer was minted from “HD material.” Perhaps this refers to an HD scan. Regardless, the source material is obviously film-based, as I noticed several spots of dirt and debris and one glaring bit of damage around the 18 minute mark. Save for these minor distractions, the rest of the transfer looks quite good. Colors and bright and appear accurate. Detail is good for standard definition and black levels are very strong. Hopefully Cinema Guild will see fit to provide a Blu-ray in the near future. The provided French 2.0 mix is surprisingly good, filling the front stage with the lively soundscape of the Strasbourg streets.

Cinema Guild have provided a number of interesting features here, including Some Photos in the City of Sylvia, Guerín’s fascinating 65-minute precursor to the feature film. Also included are a series of vignettes, a short called “In the City of Lotte,” a teaser trailer, and a booklet featuring an essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum.

[Click images for full resolution captures]

 
Note: Forgive this truncated review format, but we fell a bit behind preparing for the opening of this new site. We’ll get back to our normal long-form reviews once we’ve caught up. Thanks.