On April 4th at 10:30pm, Metrograph showed Minute Bodies (2016) as part of its late night series. While I was worried that I would fall asleep to a wordless, conceptual piece so late in the evening, the lively jazz music paired with an intimate peek at the microscopic and macroscopic natural world kept me in awe of the patterns, shapes, and forms that are apparent at every amplitude of nature.
With much of the time-lapse video showing the growth and movement of various organisms, such as roots, sprouts, spores, shoots, flowers, frogs, and ants, I saw the dance of nature in all its subtle, time-less glory.
I know very little about F. Percy Smith, but this homage to his work convinces me to investigate further. In the credits, I saw that his documentaries number in the dozens! This documentary was made by Stuart Staples to pay homage to the work of F. Percy Smith. This narrative, if you can call it that, was as chaotic and spontaneous as nature. But evident in the spontaneity are the rhythms that flow from it. The music of the film utilized various instruments, but always seemed to match the intuitive, improvisational style in jazz, which only emphasized the infinite patterns of nature.
The audience seemed to be awake and actively watching the film, especially because the theater was giving out all their popcorn for free since they were going to throw away at the end of the night. I heard the constant chewing of popcorn as well as the occasional gasp or giggle at the funny interactions on the screen,
The film is a short 55 minutes, but gives you enough time to really settle into it. At what would be the climax, there is an overlay of time-lapse growth scenes that replicates fireworks as foliage and mold spray and spew in networks so fast with the music that it is almost a celebration of life in the natural world. Overall, I found this film to be inspirational!