The Cathedral

Am Ende des Films wird ein Foto zum Leben erweckt und schließt sich ein Kreis. Wir haben dann eine Kindheit in Long Island erlebt, eine elliptische Jugend der Hochzeiten und Begräbnisse, ein psychologisch realistisches Patchwork-Familienleben in rigider Fassade mit dahinter bröckelnder Substanz. D’Ambrose schreibt damit den Stil seiner Kurzfilme weiter und versteht es, eine wie gelähmte Distanz seines heranwachsenden Protagonisten zu all den Pseudo-Ereignissen und Abwesenheiten zu vermitteln, ähnlich wie zum Rauschen der Zeitläufte in bröseligen Fernsehbildern. Ein sehr persönlicher Film der verhaltenen Gefühle – in der Autorenfilmlandschaft Amerikas steht er ziemlich allein da. (Roman Scheiber)

An unconventional autobiography, THE CATHEDRAL presents the complex tapestry of conflict-filled family relationships that will shape the life and future filmmaking career of Jesse, a kid growing up in New York from the 1980s to the mid-2000s. Using an unidentified female voice as the narrator, the film shows us the life of Jesse and his family at different stages like the chapters of a novel. D’Ambrose is one of those filmmakers whose style can be described as unique: the way he frames each scene, the editing, the acting and the structure of his films are very idiosyncratic and personal. Apart from very specific vignettes, he uses photos, newsreels and TV commercials to convey the world as Jesse experiences it as he grows up.
At the same time, the film is fundamentally a biography of his problematic father, but also of his mother, stepfathers, uncles, aunts, grandparents and great-grandparents – the twisted “cathedral” that built the young man that Jesse would become. A structurally ambitious, strangely evocative and Bressonian anti-BOYHOOD, this is a coming-of-age tale for those who can’t wait to get away from home. (Diego Lerer)

Ricky D’Ambrose: PILGRIMS (2013, K), SIX CENTS IN THE POCKET (2015, K), SPIRAL JETTY (2017, K), NOTES ON AN APPEARANCE (2018), THE SKY IS CLEAR AND BLUE TODAY (2019, K), OBJECT LESSONS, OR: WHAT HAPPENED WHITSUNDAY (2020, K)