Mark Kermode recently hailed this film one of the top five films of the year so far, but I was still slightly apprehensive about just how entertaining an almost silent film about a shepherd and goats could be. I was mesmerised by this film from beginning to end. Le Quattro Volte opens with an intriguing rounded structure with smoke curling out and earth being patted down on it. The beautifully aesthetically pleasing object is manmade but the natural materials used allude to nature and at the same time it has an otherworldly feel to it. This instantly explains the atmosphere of the film and the juxtaposition of man and nature that is prevalent throughout.
The title means ‘The Four Times’ or ‘phases’ and the film is thus divided into four distinguishable sections, separated by black screen interludes which feel incredibly long at times. The first section observes an elderly shepherd who owns a herd of goats, his day to day routine consists of taking his goats up a hill to allow them to graze on grass and he regularly takes sacred church dust before bed, added to a glass of water, in order to quell his terrible cough. He is accompanied by a trusty Border Collie who is involved in one of the most humorous scenes in the film. We see the excessive lengths that the shepherd goes to for his goats and also, on discovery of the loss of his church dust, the lengths he will go to to try and get more.
The second section focuses on a baby goat born from one of the members of the shepherds herd and there are again some humorous bits but also some extremely poignant moments. The fate of the little goat is left ambiguous but the shot of deep snow drifts where we last see the goat is rather ominous. From then the focus moves to the tree that we see the goat sleeping under and how it is felled by a community to use in a yearly tradition. Finally we see the fate of the tree, in the fourth section, when it is transformed into charcoal in the same type of structure as we saw at the beginning of the film. The cyclical nature of life is an obvious reflection within Le Quattro Volte as well as physical rituals but there are numerous other philosophical debates and interpretations one can deduce from it.
Beautiful static long shots allow the viewer to focus on and make their own story from the visual imagery. With its lack of language this film is driven by the cinematic image and is unusual and inspiring because of this. The four sections are interconnected and there are many stories to be found in this non-narrative driven film. Ants are a recurring motif within the film, showing an existence that is just as relevant as the humans and they also become associated with proceedings happening; acting as almost an antagonist. While I found the first half of the film much more mesmerising than the second this is still an incredible film, it is surprisingly funny but also extremely poignant and thought-provoking. If you get the chance to see this on the big screen then I urge you to take the opportunity as I worry some of the hypnotic qualities will get lost on the small screen.
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