Vienna

Vienna is constructed as a series of variations on the theme of ‘doubling.’ This dance film showcases the phenomenon of transference through the eyes of several women, all played by one performer. Vienna could be described as a parable about multiple personality disorder – a portrait of one woman who steps into something tangible but intangible – something she can’t quite shake off – in a succession of dance duets and solos. Time is portrayed as ‘what has passed’ and ‘what could have been.’ Locations from the 1949 British film noir, The Third Man, are reinterpreted in Vienna. In the spirit of the chase at the core of the story, we are not sure who is following who, or who is the target. The portrayal of movement in Vienna spirals in constant metamorphoses; and certain images echo throughout, morphing into one another. Further compounding this sense of unreality, this whimsical collage of Vienna combines sentimental photographic portraits with the ‘necessary illusions’ that enable us to live our daily lives. The effect is both jarring and provocative.