#nightshift 1981

[lediableprobably]

Nightshift (1981, dir. Robina rose, cinematography by Jon Jost)

[steampunkforever]

The past 10+ years of online moralizing about what punk is and isn't has honestly acted as something of a smokescreen to punk as an artistic movement for me. Nightshift by Robina Rose acts as a reminder of the artistic context around punk through its existence as an avante garde work of art.

Nightshift is more of an experience than a film. Basically unavailable to the public up until its recent 4K restoration, Nightshift is a short (roughly 70min) feature that wanders dreamlike through snapshots of the lives of a gaggle of hotel guests attended by the enigmatic desk attendant played by brit punk icon Jordan. At the risk of deploying another overused internet word, it's a liminal film.

This is One Night On Earth with less talking or Slackers with less walking. Devoid of any overarching plot, moved only by the ticking of the clock, and yet you find yourself pulled into its almost tidal movements without thinking. It's avant garde without any self congratulation, wholly devoted to the trancelike atmosphere.

The film itself was shot in five days in the hotel where Rose worked, using a little bit of art grant money and a contribution from Rose's mother's pension fund. Everyone worked for free, and the cast and crew is comprised of young artists and intellectuals from the London underground art scene. It's as scrappy as you can get, and it fully deserves its spot in the MoMA's collection.

Rose died early this year, but it makes me feel better that she was able to see what is perhaps her most significant film fully restored in 4K before she passed. If you manage to find a showing near you I highly suggest attending.

[herewithinthevoid]

Nightshift (dir. Robina Rose, 1981)‎