Battling it out for the Prix de Soleure in the Solothurn Film Festival, where the movie has now been presented in a world premiere, Social Landscapes by Jonas Meier offers up a reflection on the concept of reality in the digital age. This first feature film by the Zurich-based director, who previously contributed to the collective movie Wonderland [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
interview : Carmen Jaquier et Lionel R…
fiche film] in 2015, highlights how our digital habits and, most importantly, the infinite opportunities we have to visit places virtually, influence our perception of these places once we visit them in real life. What if the world, with all its imperfections and unexpected events, has become too much for us to bear?

The film opens with a comment informing us of the exponential rise of criticisms and comments which have been left on Tripadvisor since 2014, an increase which goes hand-in-hand with a general desire to live in an increasingly Instagram-friendly reality. Exclusively composed of comments and criticisms gathered from these kinds of platforms and delivered through voice-overs, the film foregrounds the absurdity of an increasingly superficial and voracious form of tourism which pays little attention to ecology or the people who really live in the places they visit, which are swamped by tourists. Just how far are we prepared to go to capture the perfect photo?

Social Landscapes presents itself as an exploration of the absurd, revealing dreamlike locations shot in slow-motion from all angles while comments – at times, totally deluded - about these places are read out, accompanied by slow, repetitive music (by Stefan Rusconi and Tobias Preisig). The contrast between these three elements is the lifeblood behind this aesthetically powerful work which critically reflects on how we perceive reality and on the fine line between (virtual) dreams and reality, with all its imperfections and paradoxes. The combination of the slow-paced images and music, and the violence of certain comments creates a veritable shock-effect which leaves viewers reeling.

“The beach is really beautiful but there’s too much sand”, “the beaches are beautiful, it’s a shame about the locals hanging around us so we can’t even leave our belongings on the beach and swim in peace”, “it’s best to avoid eye contact (with the locals)”. These are just a few of the comments shared over the course of the film, revealing record levels of cynicism. It highlights a real lack of curiosity, if not total indifference fuelled by hours spent scrawling through “perfect” images, hiding behind a screen which seems to rob us of our humanity. From express ablutions in India which are supposed to purify our very souls to the grotesque depiction of a journey from Mexico to the USA entitled “put yourself in a migrant’s shoes for one night”, not to mention the guided tour “through the biggest slum in India”, the film confronts viewers with the absurdity of modern-day humans who are increasingly cut off from reality. Continually moving between beautiful images of these locations and the paradoxes hiding behind the comments delivered off-camera, the film shows how hard it is to appreciate the weaknesses and imperfections which make our world so unique and exciting. Ultimately, what we learn is that there isn’t just one reality, but many, infinite realities, equal to the number of viewpoints which accompany them.

Social Landscapes was produced by Zweihund GmBh.