Zorn I (2010 - 2016)

The tense, but smiling face of maverick composer legend John Zorn listening to music might just restore your faith in human beauty. Every muscle moves in harmony with sounds and chords, it’s like seeing a soul wandering off into another realm. Mathieu Amalric has been filming this zestful musician for more than 12 years now. They first met when the actor and filmmaker narrated Zorn’s vocal album Shir Hashirim live in Paris. Those familiar with Amalric’s haptic cinema will immediately understand what drew him to Zorn and vice versa. They connect through their constant and obsessive drive for feelings and sensations, their tireless energy devoted to the art, their hunger for life. In the style of a home movie, Amalric accompanies Zorn at concerts, city walks, inside the sound studio or at practice.
There is not a single planned shot in this film, which is usually screened during Zorn’s concerts. Everything is floatingspontaneously as if the music has infected the camera. It’s a happening between two art forms and yet another attempt to make music with film. After seeing it, one feels like a diver surfacing after hours underwater. One can’t be sure if all the sounds and noises are real or just a figment of Zorn’s imagination. (Patrick Holzapfel)

In the presence of Mathieu Amalric.
With ZORN II.

Mathieu Amalric: SANS RIRES (1990, K), MANGE TA SOUPE (1997), LE STADE DE WIMBLEDON (2001), LA CHOSE PUBLIQUE (2003), TOURNÉE (2010), L’ILLUSION COMIQUE (2010, TV), LA CHAMBRE BLEUE (2014), BARBARA (2017), SERRE MOI FORT (2021), MAÎTRES ANCIENS (2022)