The Visitors
Architectures of Intimacy: The Visitors
A collection of shorts exploring the experiences of visitors of intimate spaces: a Lithuanian bath house, a hair salon before election day in Tunis, the lift of an apartment building in London and a Japanese public bath.
In certain spaces, intimate conversations flow easily, and people spontaneously connect with others. Whether it is a discussion about the upcoming presidential election or the dream you had last night, no topic is off limits. With people constantly coming and going, these spaces are brought to life with their stories and rituals.
In this shorts programme, we follow the visitors of a bath house, hair salon and lift, uncovering the commonalities between these spaces. The films give an intimate glimpse into the lives of these people, often challenging your first impressions and prejudices about them.
Introducing, for example, contemplating pensioners in the public bath or the women in a hair salon debating on who to vote for in the elections, the films offer perspectives and stories of communities that often remain unnoticed, reflecting overlooked histories. Sharing memories becomes a demonstration of community, offering a sense of belonging. Portraying universally recognizable moments, the stories of these visitors come to life.
The programme will be introduced by Kato van der Speeten, curator of Architectures of Intimacy.
Programme
Pirtis (Rimantas Gruodis, LT 1997, 10’)
Pirtis gives a glimpse in the oldest public bath in Vilnius. This last surviving bathhouse in town serves as a community centre for the elderly—a place for discussion, shared laughter and reminiscence. (Screening of the 35mm print)
Y'a pas d'heure pour les femmes (Sarra El Abed, CA 2020, 17’)
Tunis, November 2019. A group of women is gathered at Saïda’s, the hairdresser, on the eve of the presidential election. The hair salon is transformed into a town square, mirroring the internal turmoil of the country, with women discussing politics, feminism, and hairstyles.
Lift (Marc Isaacs, GB 2001, 24’)
Documentary filmmaker Marc Isaacs installed himself in the lift of a London tower block. The residents come and go, allowing us to discover more about their lives, little by little.
Oyu (Atsuhashi Hirai, JP 2023, 22’)
A man goes to the public bath to retrieve a forgotten object. But once inside, the promise of a hot bath compels him to stay. He takes the time for the ritual of taking a bath, using all his senses.
16 through 18 July, Kato van der Speeten will also present the dreamy, poetic virtual reality experience In the Mist.
In collaboration with art cooperative Espacio Estamos Bien, an installation will be presented in the bathrooms near the box office, which will be festively opened on 16 July at 20:30.
This is part of
Details
Production year
2025
Length
85 min.
Event language
English
Country
NL
Part of
Programmers of the Future 2025
Three new Programmers of the Future present their film programmes in Eye Filmmuseum this July. With films about the magic of a spontaneous encounter in a public space, about folklore, fairy tales and mythology, and about memory as an act of resistance.
Eye Film Player
Programmer of the Future Kato van der Speeten selected several films to watch at home, including Metal and Melancholy by Heddy Honigmann and Simone van den Broek’s Haarzaak. The films will be available from 8 July.
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