Synopsis

In this epic of the everyday, a man struggles to enter the New York subway, a droll take on human-versus-machine.

Director

• 

  Pacho VELEZ
  

  The Reagan Show (2017)
  Manakamana (2013)
• 

  Yoni BROOK
  

  The Reagan Show (2017)
  Manakamana (2013)

Review

Some films are better enjoyed without any prior knowledge and Mr. Yellow Sweatshirt is one such example. The film presents a single-shot scene (from above) of a subway station in New York. Despite the short running time of only 8 minutes, we find a narrative and various emotions in the story. To start with, the audience will want to find out what is happening to the man in a yellow sweatshirt. For some reason, he cannot go through the ticket turnstile no matter how hard he tries. The whole situation turns into a kind of riddle that entertains the curious audience. That the protagonist is a black man means the film can be read as an allegory of the racial discrimination within American society. Or, since he resolutely abides by the law, it can be said to be a fable about honesty and conscience. Although the director briefly mentions ‘human-versus-machine’, Mr. Yellow Sweatshirt is open to interpretations. On the whole, it is a rare example of a clever combination of straightforward directing and a wealth of meaning underneath it. [KIM Bonyeon]

Credits

• Some films are better enjoyed without any prior knowledge and Mr. Yellow Sweatshirt is one such example. The film presents a single-shot scene (from above) of a subway station in New York. Despite the short running time of only 8 minutes, we find a narrative and various emotions in the story. To start with, the audience will want to find out what is happening to the man in a yellow sweatshirt. For some reason, he cannot go through the ticket turnstile no matter how hard he tries. The whole situation turns into a kind of riddle that entertains the curious audience. That the protagonist is a black man means the film can be read as an allegory of the racial discrimination within American society. Or, since he resolutely abides by the law, it can be said to be a fable about honesty and conscience. Although the director briefly mentions ‘human-versus-machine’, Mr. Yellow Sweatshirt is open to interpretations. On the whole, it is a rare example of a clever combination of straightforward directing and a wealth of meaning underneath it. [KIM Bonyeon]  Pacho VELEZ, Yoni BROOK
• CINEMATOGRAPY  Yoni BROOK
• EDITOR  Pacho VELEZ
• SOUND  Kevin T. ALLEN
• COLOR  Aat JENCKS

Pacho VALEZ

• Pacho VALEZ  pachoworks@gmail.com