Choros (2012) User Reviews

Admirable But Too Freaky

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 4 April 2014]

Sometimes - in fact a bit more often than sometimes - something comes along and you're in two distinctive minds about it . On one level you're able to admire something and on another level you just instinctively just don't like it . Michael Langan and Terah Maher short film is a good example of this . It is a short film using the art of dance but if you think it's a simple film featuring choreography and dance that's to do it a great disservice . It involves time lapse photography and after image and reminds me of a 1968 Canadian film whose name I've forgotten that used " after image " and here we have a similar idea except it's used in a far more extreme way so much so it's mind blowing . I've never taken stuff like magic mushrooms or LSD but I imagine this is what an acid trip looks like - a very bad one and there is a very freaky element to all this . So much so that it's very easy to forget on an intellectual level just how much time and expertise went in to making this short film . As it stands it's a good advert against hallucinogenics and ends up becoming as freaky as it is admirable

body movement reveals the dance of the soul

[veronikastehr · 8/10 · 24 April 2014]

The technique of duplication shots of dancers shifted in a time sequence created a visual echo effect. This interesting chronophotographic method has been successfully applied in a short film Choros of directors-duo of Michael Langan and Terah Mahler. The resulting blending and merging movements during the dance gives the body a new form - an esoteric medium where the matter is losing its clarity revealing the dance of the soul and its stunning visuals. Clean and simple production design and mostly static camera work flawlessly in the service of highlighting the dancers in white uniform, either by dark contrast medium, or spacious meadow. Effect of flame flicker through movement perfectly complements Steve Reich's shimmering music. This film is highly recommended to anyone looking for inspiration in the beauty of the visual experience.

Technically impressive; the dance movements are a little lost but a different beauty comes out

[bob the moo · 3 April 2014]

Choros is a film of a single dancer (Terah Maher) who performs on a simple stage by herself. So far it doesn't sound too engaging and I guess if it were screened just as it was filmed then perhaps it would not have been. However in this case the post-production is where the film very much comes alive as the film of Maher dancing has essentially been duplicated and run 10 or so times with a slight time gap between each. This leads to the visual effect of a trail of one person's movement with ghost images making up that trail, although at other times the images are also physically offset so that Maher appears to be an entire troupe of dancers performing together in perfect coordination.

I say "essentially been duplicated" to describe it, but I have no idea how this was done but can only imagine it took a lot of time and skill since the images move very well and in good timing to one another and to the music. The end result is quite hypnotic. You do tend to lose the detail of the dance moves in some cases, which is a downside; so for example movements all done in one spot soon lose the individual into a blur of the movements. However it must be said that this blur is also visually interesting and beautiful. At 13 minutes I did wonder if it was too long for this one idea but, while it could have lost a few minutes, the gradual build in scale and location as well as the idea of death and then triumphant rebirth just about make the time work.

It is technically very impressive but it still also works as a piece of performance and the digital work may change that, but only in a way that transforms and adds.