Artistic vulnerability: <em>Concerto</em>, <em>Curtain Call</em>, <em>Just Because I’m a Street Kid</em>

Vulnerability is explored as the perfect final product is stripped away, revealing the foundations of making art. With these three short films from Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, artists from different disciplines will easily relate to them, while audiences can find renewed appreciation for the art that they enjoy.

Three shorts

In Concerto, we are introduced to Nina Schumann, a prominent classical pianist preparing for a performance of Rachmaninoff’s No.3 Piano Concerto. This is a piece of music that she has played several times before; however, the circumstances are very different this time. Nina has been diagnosed with focal dystonia and parkinsons disease. These neurological conditions directly affect her ability to play. The film uses archival footage from her prime to contrast with her present process, highlighting her transformation and the conquest of her inadequate feelings leading up to her performance.

The process of creating art is a vulnerable one.

Backstage theatre comes alive in Curtain Call, where we get a rare glimpse into the chaos behind refined stage plays. Make-up strewn across dressing tables, warm-ups, and last-minute rehearsals serve as the backdrop of a theatre company as they get ready for a performance. In the midst of it all, they share their expectations of the performance. How vulnerable it feels to expose yourself in front of an audience, not to mention how they must step outside of their shell to embody their characters. What we see before the final curtain call is true camaraderie formed through a shared process.

Just Because I am a Street Kid follows «Shorty the Melville Poet». Shorty is a homeless person on the streets of Johannesburg. She writes and performs her poems to show that she is more than her material conditions, but a poet deserving of recognition. She has three published works, two of which are available on Amazon. Her work is very well received, with features in local publications and rave reviews from her benefactors. As the film progresses, we learn about how she came to be on the streets and how her poems heal and inspire those around her. Just Because I am a Street Kid ends with Shorty reaffirming her place in a world that overlooks her while paying tribute to the streets that adopted her.

Personal transformations

The process of creating art is a vulnerable one. Something that these films succinctly capture. The first two show the rigorous preparations that take place before we indulge in masterpieces, while the latter shows us that the process is sometimes drawn from experience. That goes to show how personal art is. The filmmakers take great care to convey this message on screen, whether verbatim from their subjects’ accounts or through an observational point of view.

Jurg Slabbert portrays Nina Schumann’s vulnerability in Concerto through the use of narration and archival footage. We get to see her at her prime and how her neurological condition has affected her performances. Her attempt to conquer what is considered the «Everest» of the piano after a diagnosis of focal dystonia and Parkinson’s leads us to appreciate more deeply her talent and her tenacity to carry on. Similarly, tenacity is a strong theme in Faith Riyano’s portrayal of Shorty. It takes immense will to keep going on the streets, and Shorty’s ability to publish three poems under her circumstances is a testament to her talent and willpower. She is also quite the businessperson in her own right, selling out copies of her books within a day. Watching Shorty reminds us not to let our current situations get in the way of our self-expression. Curtain Call, on the other hand, takes on the idea of vulnerability by centring on stepping out of your comfort zone. As Kyla Laing and Marise Schoonraad take us backstage, we see how actors must shed parts of themselves to transform into their characters. We also get to see how working together for weeks, sometimes even months, during rehearsals creates a safe space that allows them to embody their characters on stage.

Whether it is a musical performance, poetry, or stage acting, these films are connected by similarities in their processes. We see how their transformations are tied to the personal. Whether it is by letting go of parts of ourselves to create something new or doubling down on our individuality. We are also left with renewed appreciation for artists. From the musicians who spend endless hours practising a piece of music, subjecting themselves to repetitive movements, to the stage actor who exposes themself to a live audience, and to the poet who draws from their real life to give us lyrical verses, we are grateful for their selflessness.

This review emanates from the Talent Press programme, an initiative of Talents Durban in collaboration with the Durban FilmMart Institute and FIPRESCI. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author (Michelle Abuti) and cannot be considered as constituting an official position of the organisers.