Coming to DVD tomorrow, Tuesday, April 22: LA MAISON DE LA RADIO
Nicolas Philibert’s portrait of a cultural institution made its debut at Berlin last year. It went on to screen at Telluride, Cinema du Reel, Planete+ Doc, BFI London, Vancouver, Stockholm, CPH:DOX, Philadelphia, and San Francisco, among others, before enjoying a limited theatrical release.
Philibert’s film offers a kaleidoscopic day in the life of Radio France, situated in the building known by the familiar nickname signaled in the title. As is typical of his work, the director completely eschews expository cards or voiceover, instead immersing the viewer in the goings on of the public radio station – equivalent in many ways to America’s NPR – from news flashes and nautical reports to musical interludes and arts and culture interviews. Momentarily visiting on-air studios and staffers at their desks or on their beat – such as a report about the Tour de France filed from the back of a speeding moped – the effect is never meant to be comprehensive, but rather evocative of the range of the station’s programming, and what this eclecticism signifies about the importance of culture and information within France. Like tuning the dial achronally between different programs within the same station, Philibert’s observational approach washes over the audience rather than telling them a straightforward story – the lack of specific context in a handful of sequences may leave some viewers scratching their heads, but as a verité portrait of a place, it’s effective in its simplicity.
what (not) to doc 