Issue No 17
1985 STUDIO

Spectrum Émotionnel

BY Lorie Loire

Pastel sounds and hypnotic lights persuade, and particles in the air flicker, a mystery of what is approaching consumes. Canadian born, now resident Berliner, filmmaker Mariana Ivana knows just how to collect your sensations and lead you into the next storyline. There is a deep emotional quality to her caliber of writing that keeps you guessing.

Fusing the multi layers within the art department and each treatment, she began directing music videos before going solo with one accord. Expressively charged with technique, her endeavor can be seen on Vicious Kid's music video My Lonely Friend where faces of emotion are disguised until the end. This pattern faintly carries on into Un Autre Jour, with six minutes of capture, wide shots and the mystique of simplistic allure. Waves of intense sound, precise storyline, and 250 watt lights mesh simplistic beauty with passion in a traditional Berlin flat. The short was written, art directed and shot entirely by Mariana herself as she refocused her life from Toronto into what the creative depths of Berlin were beginning to bestow upon her.

With motive, her 2012 short film, Bruises, Cake and Cigarettes, made its way into Cannes Court Métrage Film Festival this year and landed in Canada, Australia and Germany with remarkable precedence. An obscure and seductively woven script reveals that Mariana's influences are real life human connections and idiosyncrasies. Character heavy roles carrying a plot of intrigue are inspired by her love for Bergman films and Gaspar Noé. Over the shoulder shots of silence playing with the possibility of psychological thrills. High intensity without even seeing a facial expression generates anticipation and fiery suspense. Currently she is undergoing the second installment of the trilogy with a feature titled Coke, Champagne, and Cigarettes. There are certain cinematic moments where one makes subconscious notes of the beauty that lies beneath the surface, imagine what more there is to come from this dynamic filmmaker.