Two unnamed women (Theresa George and Josefina Gill) spend a quiet weekend together around the North Sea, before parting as one (George) sails solo across the Atlantic and the other (Gill) returns home. Quiet and meditative to an extreme, Helena Wittmann’s debut feature “Drift,” which premiered at Venice and part of the New Directors/New Films festival, eschews any type of traditional narrative for an equally absorbing and prolonged film that confronts both the seduction and disenchantment of solitude.
Wittmann, who has a few other short films to her name, leans all in on a reflective narrative mode, with the film beginning with a banal conversation between the women, before leading into a collection of scenes of their beach-front wanderings. Their relationship is never fully defined, as the suggestion of romantic underpinnings is somewhat undermined by their routine interactions. Yet when George’s character begins her cross-Atlantic voyage, whatever narrative there was (and there isn’t a lot) breaks down entirely, as Wittman allows the ocean and the cyclical beating and crashing of waves to engulf the film.
And, truly, the ocean becomes the narrative subject to an extreme during the latter half of “Drift”’s relatively short (96 minutes) runtime. Land, horizon, and all other context is stripped away, as the boat and the women disappear entirely, leaving only the ebbing and crashing of the water for upwards of 20 continuous minutes. As pretty as it all is, however, the meditative waves eventually become monotonous, yet the journey still continues. As George’s character moves further away from Gill, the film becomes more displaced and abstracted. Day leads into night and, eventually, fog engulfs the frame before, eventually, briefly returning to the women.
This type of narrative subjectivity, in which the viewer truly partakes in both the beauty and tediousness of the character’s journey is commendable. Yet one’s mileage on Wittmann’s feature will depend, mainly, on the question of patience. If an untethered narrative and a prolonged section of the ocean waves sounds enticing, then it’s a pretty remarkable debut, but this is obviously for the patient, more art-house leaning cinemagoer.
Wittmann, who serves as her own cinematographer, creates layers of striking images, making for one of the more beautiful film’s recently seen. Yet, the distinct lack of emotional investment in these two unnamed characters and their relationship makes it hard to really care when one leaves the other. What “Drift” does illustrate, though, is that Wittmann is a major talent with a lot of promise. Regardless of whether she coalesces a more grounded narrative in the future or not, it’ll be exciting to what where she goes next. [B]