Manfriet

From Viennale

Jan Soldat’s portrait films offer variations on a theme: silent confrontations between filmmaker and subject. MANFRIET diffuses the situation’s tension with sly humour. Presented like a house tour, the film challenges us to understand the man based on his environment. In various camera set-ups around his cluttered flat, Manfriet offers up his nude body for the viewer, assuming poses usually associated with classical art. Manfriet disrobes at the beginning and gets dressed again at the end, providing a slender thread of narrative. (Michael Sicinski)