Relax Be Cruel

Marion scemama
1983/ 2023, usa/ france, 16mm transferred to digital, 40 min, english with English sdh

Relax Be Cruel is set at the legendary Pier 34, an abandoned industrial hangar which became an illegal art venue and a cruising spot in New York City. Filmed in 1983, partially lost, and then re-edited by Scemama in 2023, this hybrid fiction unfolds through the perspective of a punk squatter who witnesses the many lives which revolve around the warehouse. A black and white hypnagogic vision, the film incorporates experimental performances and installations, and close observations of bodies and their relationships with architecture, all unified by the idiosyncrasy of the place, which was soon after demolished by the city authorities.

Captioning: Carefuffle

Content note: Flashing lights/strobe effects; strong sexual references

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