This is a movie that we could spend hours analyzing and trying to figure out. Everyone can find something unique and many things to think about. At the same time, the movie can be enjoyed by absolutely shutting down the logic. By just going with the flow. For me, the first method is easier so it came naturally to ask myself many questions as for why the only musical piece that we can sporadically hear is "Spring" by Vivaldi and why only in specific scenes? Why was that camera static during the whole movie but moved just 2 or 3 times, was it at random? Was it by design that the little boy was constantly surrounded by water in different forms and shapes - his fish figurines and pictures, the drawing, the snow, the river, the fish market? Truth is - it doesn't matter what was on purpose.

It is very hard for adults to peek into the little man's mind and understand what is driving him to go to such extents. The little runaway carries an important drawing that he has to show to his father. The journey is dangerous and even risky at times but he never gives up. Many obstacles await him before he gets to his destination - the fish market. He is taken by surprise there - the market is already closed and everything around is completely empty. No people. Right at that moment, the fatigue takes its toll on the kid. He has to finally sleep. The Odyssey of the little man is shown through three silent parts - "The Drawing", "The Fish Market" and "The Long Sleep". 

For Cineuropa Damien Manivel says: "Before shooting the film, we talked a lot about what kind of feelings we would like to evoke. And then we started figuring out how to achieve that effect. But sometimes, or even most of the time, it was Takara himself who would come up with some new ideas, completely changing what we previously had in mind. And we loved it!"


If you are looking for action and dynamics, better look elsewhere! If you decide tho that you need a bit of silence and calmness, you can safely trust "The Night I Swam"!
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"The Night I Swam" during Sofia Film Fest

Статията на български език - тук. 

Tabula rasa in Latin literally means a blank or a clean board, referring to the wax boards the Romans used in order to write. No matter what is written tho, if the wax is heated and smoothed out, it becomes a tabula rasa - a clean (or better yet, erased) space which we can use anew. To start again is always easier in theory than in practice especially when we remember what the wax said before we erased it. 

It may sound as a bit of a stretch but "Tabula Rasa" illustrates brilliantly this precise moment of change that we've all experienced more than once in our lifetimes even. Not just that but the message is depicted in the image of something we oftentimes deem as more mundane than we can imagine - through food. The food that we all eat (hopefully) several times a day. The food that is a vital part of our well being and life to such extent that we forget about its spiritual worth. The movie delicately takes us on a journey not only through the wonderful cuisine of Indonesia but through the culture and soul of the local people. Meals are not just for blind consumption, to survive. They can also have history behind them - who we are, where we come from, where are we going. What do we feel even. The scenes I absolutely adored the most were set in the kitchen. Mak wasn't just cooking more so she was creating, molding with her two hands and with lots of love culinary masterpieces. Her character has a line about how the food, all of the food should pass through the hands of the cook. We see the food being created with such love and devotion - almost like a sacred ritual in the name of the holiest thing actually - food. And with food - life.