A cycle of films that took seven years to complete and are the product of artistic collaboration between M+M (Marc Weis and Martin de Mattia) are showing at the Museum of Photography in Berlin. The cycle is called “7 Tage” (7 Days).This long filming process echoes the acclaimed “Boyhood” (2014) by Richard Linklater, which was filmed over the course of 12 years. Linklater’s goal was to capture the passing time; Weis and De Mattia, on the other hand, are more interested in the portrayal of the multifaceted identity of the main protagonist, played by Christoph Luser.Each film, named after a day of the week, consists of two, almost identical versions projected simultaneously side by side. While reflecting each other in visual terms, they open up a range of interpretative possibilities.The most striking contrast is posed in the two final films, “Samstag” (Saturday, 2015), and “Sontag” (Sunday, 2009). The first of the films presents a club scene, inspired by John Badham’s “Saturday Night Fever” (1977). The main protagonist is dancing with a man in one version of the video and a woman in the other version. The flirtatious dialogue, spoken by both characters, remains the same.“Sunday” is an homage to Jean-Luc Godard’s “Le Mépris” (1963). The two different versions shift between an erotic conversation between lovers and an innocent interaction between a father and a daughter.Weis and de Mattia expand the possibilities of cinema, breaking free of the conventions of linear narrative and a single view point. The contrasts set up by the two simultaneously played videos challenge the viewer’s preconceptions about the social and gender roles of the characters. While looking back to the cult film productions, “7 Tage” paves the way for a new, experimental cinema.M+M “7 Days” runs at Museum of Photography / Helmut Newton Foundation, Jebensstraße 2, 10623 Berlin from April 28 through July 3, 2016. For more information, see http://www.smb.museum/en/museums-and- institutions/museum-fuer- fotografie/home.html.
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