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No Man Is an Island (2004)
Directed by Jesper Just
Overview
An older man begins dancing in a public square, oblivious to the laughing gawkers who pass by. He seems to want to engage the attention of a young man sitting on a bench who begins weeping. A group of youngsters mimics and mocks the dancer. He’s oblivious to them. The music is a sprightly tune that Fred Astaire might have used as he enticed Ginger Rogers into his arms. And didn’t he do a lot of dancing in the streets in his movies? Nobody laughed at him. But, of course, he was only on a pretend street in a Hollywood soundstage. We know this is also a setup. Still, it’s embarrassing. They’re making public displays of themselves. The man, expressionless, continues to dance. The other man continues to weep. One kid starts taking the performance seriously and joins in the dance as a sort of pas de deux. Both men ignore him. And then it’s over. We don’t know why it began or ended. Courting ritual or celebration of self, it’s unclear. (UbuWeb)
Length 4 minutes