Being John Smith

Humour can mask fragility. After a career built on dry wit, British filmmaker John Smith goes back to his origins—the film opens with the sound of a baby crying and a picture of him at just three hours old—to question that most intimate of attributes, the one we don’t choose: our name. The moniker in question could hardly be more common: John Smith, which the director shares with 30,000 others in the UK alone. Smith synthesises so much here: wit, politics, a look back at his oeuvre, unexpected fragility and tenderness. After these 27 minutes, we all want to be John Smith. (Gonzalo de Pedro)

In the presence of John Smith.

This film will be shown as part of the screening SHORT FILM PROGRAM 2: OUTBURSTS.