Here's something you don't see everyday: a modern silent movie—in fact, filmmaker Milford Thomas went so far as to shoot Claire with a hand-cranked camera from the 1920s. But while the resulting film would definitely have elicited more than a few gasps in the silent movie era, Claire will generate more than a few yawns with contemporary audiences. Inspired by the Japanese fairytale “Kaguyahime,” the film focuses on an elderly gay rural couple who long for a child of their own and whose wishes are finally answered with the arrival of Claire, a luminescent being discovered in the couple's corn harvest. The men raise Claire as their own, but when she comes of age it is revealed that she is a child of the moon and must return to her lunar homeland. Although Claire is meant to recall the styles and conventions of the silent era, the film wears out its welcome rather quickly with its Norma Desmond-worthy acting and faux-primitive production values. Unlike the organic naiveté of the early fantasy films, Claire feels artificial, contrived, and padded (despite a comparatively short running time). Fans of experimental cinema may be intrigued, but others can safely pass. Optional. (P. Hall)
Claire
Strand, 53 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99, Sept. 26 Volume 21, Issue 6
Claire
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