7:09 minutes, 1998
”Three Waltzes begins with the ambiguous image of a burning cigarette lighter which is also a musical box. From films we have learned that the charming tune it is playing does not usually bode well. In the triptych that follows, three stories are told. These are short scenes, each of which depicts a strange relationship between two people.
First of all we see two women, each of whom has an orthopedic brace on their right leg, involved in an exercise during which one pulls the other out of an armchair. The second scene shows a man and a woman. The woman is holding a pile of crockery in her hands, which she is dropping one by one to the floor. Finally we can see two couples who are passing each other on the street. The more the camera zooms in, the more it seems as if they are flirting crosswise with their eyes. The scenes are followed by three texts, which are presented as annotations. Like entries in a diary, they describe the thought process of someone who is reflecting on himself in relation to others. Within the strict framework of the triptych, Three Waltzes shows a mixture of characters, relationships, actions, and times. The narrative means used can be traced back to all kinds of literary and cinematic genres. And precisely because of this abundance, the video makes one thing very clear: that nothing is more elusive and unstructured than the relationship between two people.” (Montevideo Catalogue)
“Another treasure, Monique Moumblow's Three Waltzes, renders repetition meaningful. In positioning her subjects in a relentless push and pull, Moumblow meditates on fight or flight.” (Images Wrap! by SiSi Penaloza, LIFT Newsletter)
credits
Written, Directed: Monique Moumblow
Actors: Rachel Echenberg, Paul Litherland, Joseph Siddiqui, Kendall Ayoub, Yudi Sewraj
Camera and Music: Nelson Henricks
Editing: Monique Moumblow and Yudi Sewraj
Post-production sound: Martin Hurtubise
Produced with the assistance of
The Canada Council
une co-production de PRIM Montréal
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