THE INTERPLAY OF CONTRADICTIONS: FORMAL STRATEGIES IN ESSAY FILMS BY LAILA PAKALNIŅA
THE INTERPLAY OF CONTRADICTIONS: FORMAL STRATEGIES IN ESSAY FILMS BY LAILA PAKALNIŅA

Summary/Abstract: In literary studies, an essay is traditionally and etymologically defined as an experimental presentation of a thesis, idea, or criticism, with pronounced authorial involvement in the construction of the argument. It is a genre that appears in various academic disciplines and art fields. The essay film has been a part of film theory and practice since the 1940s, and is currently a key topic in the international film industry. The essay film genre in world cinema includes works by directors such as Agnès Varda, Chantal Akerman, Chris Marker, Harun Farocki and Peter Mettler, among others. Individual essay film examples in Latvian cinema were created by Aivars Freimanis, Hercs Franks, Laima Žurgina, Dāvis Sīmanis, Kristīne Želve, Jānis Ābele, Betija Zvejniece and a few others. The current article is dedicated to the work and artistic uniqueness of Laila Pakalniņa (1962), an internationally acclaimed and prolific Latvian director, screenwriter, and producer. The artist is considered the demiurge of conceptual filmmaking and the most consistent representative of the tradition of the essay film genre in Latvian cinema. The author of the current article aims to confirm that Pakalniņa’s creative legacy belongs to the essay film genre by analysing the diverse formal techniques employed. This diversity emphasises the individuality and authorship of the artist, while simultaneously testing and expanding the boundaries of cinematic language and initiating an active dialogue with the audience.

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