FOURFOLD Film Review — Paint With The Colors Of The Wind

Posted on by Breanna Henry

Editor's Note:  This film is now part of the Flying Film Festival.  

We see a black screen…

The music in the background is low, but still present… 

Then, a volcano-type creation pops up on the screen, ever-moving. A lady’s voice comes on in a different language; Mongolian. She describes what this colorful image is before us. 

It’s an Ovoo, “shamanic stone altars for Mongolic peoples to worship Mother Earth, water, and eternal sky Tengri.” 

She says there are treasures under the ground, represented by the cool of blue, gray, and silver swirling together. Then, the shrine is set on the treasure pile, represented by that moving volcano-like figure of colors.

The music in the background gets louder, and it starts to sound like chanting. The painting later transforms from the Ovoo and the trees to the blue sky, with layers of white and yellow flowing toward our screen. If the land of milk and honey was ever illustrated, this reviewer thinks this is what it would look like. The music decreases as the narrator describes the image before us as picturing milk libation, “a ritual of pouring milk as an offering to the sky deity Tengri, Mother Earth, and nature.”

The music boosts in volume yet again. The chanting gets louder and louder until eventually waning with the colors.

THE FOURFOLD Destroys Paintings For Storytelling 

Mongolia-Canadian director and artist Alisi Telengut uses stop-motion animation that conveys the essence of this indigenous religion. At first glance, The Fourfold looks like papier-mâché, but in fact, they are Telengut’s old paintings destroyed to create new art. Blues and purples and golds and browns and different hues collapse into each other and form the next scene which evolves into the next scene and the next. There’s a lot of micro-movements in the animation which makes it look like everything you see is moving.  You too may agree that this adds interest to this depiction of the shamanistic traditions.

The Fourfold is an educational piece. The narration is documentary-like, and the seven-minute short film is very straightforward and informational. If you like learning about different cultures, this will be an aesthetically pleasing treat for you. If, however, you are not interested in learning about religion or things you aren’t used to, you may not enjoy this. 

Either way, in this reviewer’s opinion, the unique animation will be sure to hold your attention, whether you like educational films or not.

 

RECOMMENDED

Nominate this for The Picture This Post BEST OF 2021???
Click Readers' Choice

Want to see who won the Picture This Post READERS’ CHOICE competition last year?
WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO—

Yes!! Please note my vote to add this to the
Picture This Post BEST OF 2021

 

CAST:

Qirima Telengut, Voice Interview

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director: Alisi Telengut
Sound Design: Alisi Telengut
Sound mix: Olivier Calvert

Find out more about the film on Alisi Telengut’s website

Images courtesy of THE FOURFOLD

Breanna Henry

About the Author: Breanna Henry

Almost 10 years ago Breanna sat in her tiny room she shared with her younger sister in Houston, Texas writing songs, stories, and poems on the rough carpet. She mimicked songs she heard on the radio and imitated books she's read from the Scholastic Book Fair. By fifth grade, she knew creative writing would soon be her passion. Now a sophomore at Loyola University New Orleans, she has published works on her university's newspaper, literary journal, and on her own blog. When she's not writing and working towards her Mass Communication and English Writing degree, she's watching Criminal Minds re-runs, doing photoshoots with friends, and dancing wildly in her dorm room while music blasts through her speakers.

Share this:
    2

Make a Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *