Pina 3D

Pina 3D

I caught an advance screening of Wim Wender's new 3D documentary, Pina, at IFC and was really impressed. I've been waiting for someone to make a film like this - an art film essentially - that embraces the enormous creative potential of 3D and uses it to create a utterly unique viewer experience and not just a gimmick to fill seats. It's equal parts documentary and performance piece with a little magical realism thrown in for effect. As a film, it succeeds in illustrating Pina Bausch's character through her art - modern dance. I'm no dance connoisseur by any means but I found how she used to movement to evoke such powerful emotions in both her performers and her audience to be extremely inspiring. As for 3D, this is a great film with or without it but Wenders used it in such a way as to make you feel like a participant in the dance. If you were to see a performance like this live, you would most likely see it in a theater - from the front perspective only and far enough away so as not to perceive the depth of the scene but to see the whole thing happen from one flat, fixed point of view. But in this film, the performances were photographed stereoscopically with a dynamically moving camera getting very close to the action and tracking around it. It really has an immersive effect, because you can resolve the roundness of the dancers and their spatial relationship to one another. It's like you're standing right there with them. 

General release happens 12/23/11 so if you've been dying to see a real 3D "art film" this might satisfy you.