The Joyless Economy

“You worked at a supermarket. You had a man who loved you and you called him Y; you had another one and you called him X; and you had the shelf — the tapes, the covers, the spines, hundreds of them.“  Marjorie Conrad’s filmic essay on the biography of an unknown woman is a hypnotic cinematic experience, both in form and narrative. Drawing on the woman’s video collection, Conrad recounts her sexual discoveries and her infidelities. The left side of the screen traverses the films of her life, delving deeper into her cinematic passion, while the right side traces the path of her life—accompanied by a narrator—through grainy small-gauge footage. The film addresses the insatiable human need for connection, feelings of hurt and lostness, and the impossibility of ever being anyone else. A poetic and existential feminist portrait of a cinephile’s life emerges, exploring the interplay between cinematic tastes and lived experience. The film premiered at the Cannes Festival, and even there, it was singular in its radicalism and originality.

“»Jaws« was the beginning. »Repulsion« freed you. »Possession« showed you there was more to want, and not long after, you went and wanted it. Then Jess Franco...”

The Voice Over, addressing to B., The Joyless Economy