May 9, 2024
seen from Ukraine
seen from Denmark
seen from Mali
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Denmark
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Switzerland
seen from Singapore
seen from Japan
seen from United States
seen from Switzerland
seen from United States
seen from France
seen from Kyrgyzstan
seen from Malaysia
CU: close up
WS: wide shot
MS: medium shot
EST: establishing shot
what stood out to me initially was the fact that the documentary is rooted in present day, but in order to show Nas' history, they slowed it down and introduced the audience to him and his family's experience in Mississippi and Queens through interview techniques but more importantly beautiful archival footage and image. this archival element turned out to be a very integral to the entire documentary.
this film is a wonderful portrait of many things at once — we get to see who Nas is today, but also who and what made him who he is. it is also a portrait of New York through time, as well as the difficulties and oppressive effects of systemic racism. I love that it is a documentary that includes talking head interviews, but is not based on them nor reliant on them as a continuous thread, with lots of dynamic performance footage and a liberal use of L and J cuts to make a seamless story.
these are a perfect encapsulation of certain elements of Noriko and Ushio's relationship in the studio, and in life — she knows its better to make her own work, and that she isn't his assistant, but he insists otherwise. he is extremely dismissive of her individuality and value as a person, and this sets the tone and structure of the film.
because of this opening scene in Ushio's studio, it's hard not to read into Noriko's illustrations as reflective of her reality enduring him. come to find out, they truly are inspired by her life.
the use of archive footage is absolutely perfect, and truly helps ground us, the viewers, in the sheer amount of time these two artists have been working and making art. to see how young they were when arriving in New York is astounding, and it is simultaneously impressive and disheartening / sad to see Ushio making exactly the same work that he has been for half a decade. this, combined with the clear lack of respect he has for Cutie, shows very little growth for him as a person. it is also just truly remarkable the breadth of archival footage they have of everything from the family walking down the streets, to them making art over the span of many years, to their son taking a bath, to them drunk and hosting parties.
not to mention the fact that Noriko was practically a child herself. if she met Ushio at 19, and was pregnant only six months after they met, she couldn't have been older than 22 or 23 in this photograph, and by this point she stated she had already lost her joy for painting...
all in all, it was very poignant to see how Ushio's narcism and alcoholism affected both Noriko and their son's trajectories in life. Simultaneously, it was beautiful to see Noriko subtly grow her independance and personal artistic practice, while also quietly letting the audience know why she stuck around all those years — love. a very well crafted, personal documentary, with an interesting mix of current and archival footage.