Yes

Volumes have been written ad nauseam on the subject of whether or not cinema is the "Seventh Art." Perhaps it is because cinema is such a relatively new medium that the critics feel as though they must justify themselves, qualifying every statement, as though to make the argument more real. Perhaps it is because the film doesn't hang on the wall, or cannot be touched like one could touch a marble bust. Whatever the reason, far too much discussion revolves around cinema's place in the art world. Well, the argument can be laid to rest for once and for all with the new film, "Yes."

Sally Potter ("The Man Who Cried") has created a true work of art with her new film "Yes." The dialogue is spoken in rhymed iambic pentameter, and I couldn't help but feel as though the great Bard himself were somehow present, waiting in the wings. It would be something of an injustice for me to try and explain this film in words, when it took Ms. Potter 95 minutes to say with the full use of the cinematic medium in her employ. She is one of the few directors working today who truly understands the medium's possibilities. Color, sound, music, camera angles and subtle movement through the frame (I was reminded in a few scenes of the way Kurosawa positions objects in front of the camera, like trees, with the actors and the scene unfolding beyond the obstructing objects, slowly moving the camera around to reveal the action - an elegant way to create tension, and an artistic way of dividing up the screen space itself).

The acting is superb, and the beautiful Joan Allen introduced the film and fielded questions after. The film was poetic, sad, beautiful, tragic and inspiring. I was shaking my head in amazement throughout. For me, "Yes" has been the best film of the festival so far.