Must See Movie of the Week: Pina(read the full article and post a reply)

Wim Wenders has already proven his ability to soar with the angels(Wings of Desire).  His latest film Pina is an homage to famed dancer/choreographer Pina Bausch(who died shortly before he began filming) and a breathtaking adaptation of 3D technology to film and its representation in dance.)  Anyone familiar with  PedroAlmodovar’s mastepiece “Talk to Her” will immediately recognize Pina’s famous dance scene from Cafe Muller…seemingly sightless women dependent upon an overwhelmed man frantically removing chairs from their paths….In this film, Wenders employs 3D technology and his poetic sense of movement(using crane shots to move us with the dancers) to create an event that is difficult to describe.  Those familiar with Pina will certainly appreciate Wender’s shifts from stage to location to express (at least) some of the intensity of the dance.  Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring ” is performed onstage in the dirt.  The 3D experience allows the spectator to wind his/her way among the dancers–a gossamer curtain flows between us and the dancers and we reach to push it aside, realizing only then that it is “just a movie.”   Those who have disparaged 3D technology as sensationalistic hoopla have failed to apprciate its power under such masters as Werner Herzog(Cave of Forgotten Dreams) and Martin Scorsese(Hugo)…..this is a film that should not be missed.  this is a film that elevates the spectator and evokes feelings that dance and film permit…..Thank you Pina ….Thank you Wim Wenders….this is a film that makes it worthwhile to be human…….Jolyn Wagner