The Unbearable Presence of Roots

At first sight, The Unbearable Presence of Roots is a classic video installation. Large screens display scenes that seem to cast directly back to the heyday of melodrama: deathbed scenes illuminated in suitably sentimental light, with the last gasping declarations of love or confessions. But gradually, a disturbing element seeps into the installation, causing actors to lose their role. They are overcome by existential anxieties, and through their behaviour disrupt the conventions of film. 'Reality' makes way for an anarchic situation in which the viewer can no longer rely on the general rules of film language. What was sincere, touching and absorbing at first, now seems manipulative, out of place and deceitful.