CHAIN

Throughout Chain, Jem Cohens first narrative feature, the two main characters remain principally alone, although Cohen is concerned with the things that hold us together and keep us apart in the modern world. A young runaway and a Japanese businesswoman shuttle about the mallscapes and strip-highways of suburban sprawl, moving through the provisional spaces of shopping areas, hotels, office towers, and amusement parks that make up todays social sphere. Chain follows each womans tale of solitude and introspection, interspersing the narrative sections with shots of urban landscapes from we-dont-know-quite-where and thats precisely the point. Cohen spent years collecting interstitial imagery from various locals, including America and eastern and western Europe and yet it all looks strangely similar. These multidimensional , slow, and thoughtful sections are the emotional core of a film that is one part personal documentary and one part travelogue. Cohen films his characters in such a way that they blend into the landscape, and over time the businesswomans reiteration of her companys slogan, «The Indoor Outdoor People», comesto resonate eerily. (Alice Lovejoy)

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