Underground, mystery and metamorphosis
2/ Hellboy 2
In a time when the space beneath a city has become a precious resource and a land to conquer, the philosopher explains how Wings of Desire gives an insight into the underground mentality. As for Hellboy 2, it shows us that “the underground is a place for metamorphosis, where you can become someone else.”
The city as an element
4/ Blade Runner
5/ The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
6/ The Walk
These four films capture the “elemental reverie” so dear to Gaston Bachelard. Olivier Pourriol emphasizes that, while the city is a place for efficiency and frenzy, it’s also always a good place for reverie. And this reverie borrows from the most basic of elements: water, with dreams of fluidity; fire, with dreams of technological progress: air, with dreams of elevation (lifts, skyscrapers); and earth, with dreams of rest and willpower (construction, works).
A place of transit(ion)
7/ The Terminal
8/ Gattaca
10/ The Great Love
In this last selection of films, train stations, airports and other spaceports have a key role, reminding us that places of transit aren’t only for people passing through, but they’re often spaces destined for transformation.
