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After returning from a lengthy business trip to Tokyo, a nameless protagonist is inexplicably stuck at a hotel nearby the Helsinki airport. Not only that, he is also stuck in an endless loop of multi-tasking, his awareness split up, and his activities constantly divided into several directions at once. Various technical devices demand his attention, such as phones, computers, and heart rate monitors. His consciousness is modified; his time-management disintegrates.
A “camera-less lettrist film” about fear of flying, security checks, and time zones, Mannerlaatta uses photogram techniques and photocopying to produce its images, exposing objects placed on 35mm reversal film and printing documents related to air travel directly onto clear film leader. The result is an almost body-less film quality, aesthetically channeling the self-referential inner monologue of the protagonist, caught in a maelstrom of thoughts and images.
Mika Taanila was born in 1965 in Helsinki, Finland, where he lives and works as a film director and visual artist. His projects address the notion of human engineering, whether filmmaking, visual arts, or music. His works look at the progress of technological evolution and the intersection of art and science.
Production: Elokuvayhtiö Testifilmi Oy, Helsinki
Format: DCP, Black/White
Running time: 73 min
Language: Finnish
Photo: © Elokuvayhtiö Testifilmi Oy
