Psychohydrography
Time Out New York Project: Issue #822, July 21-August 3, 2011
★★★★☆
Dir. Peter Bo Rappmund. 2010. N/R. 63mins. Documentary.
A thing of sheer beauty, Peter Bo Rappmund’s experimental doc is made up of animated still photographs of the Los Angeles water supply as it flows from its Nevada origins to the Pacific Ocean. The vibrant images — parts of which move in herky-jerky, stop-motion-esque fashion — are mesmerizing, as is the multilayered soundtrack with its transporting blend of tones (cascading rivers; electrical currents; aural recordings of the sun). Psychohydrography is best seen on the big screen; even those with a cursory grasp of avant-garde cinema are likely to come away with their minds opened and altered.—Keith Uhlich