D Pedro Costa | Portugal, 2014
Horse Money was an interesting film, primarily because of the acting style which included actors whispering or looking straight past the camera as the lines were delivered in voice over. The cinematography was mesmerizing. The images were either dark or light and the dark images were highly contrasted and in vignette, almost making the edge of frame invisible. There isn’t however, much of a coherent story. A man is in a hospital and he recounts his life and contemplates his death while talking with other people in the hospital.
The film opened with black and white photographs of people in poverty and buildings in shambles and a soundscape was introduced gradually. I really liked this effect because it made the audience aware of the sound by first removing it and gradually adding ambient sound.
Horse Money did not have a vivid soundtrack and worked on building soundscapes for the ominous empty hospital location. I attended an afternoon screening, and sadly, after two classes I was a little tired and ended up falling asleep for part of the film. I was not the only one as several people adjusted themselves after a loud sound was heard over the subtle ambiance.
