Has it ever happened to you to watch a movie and feel yourself changed?
“They say we are two people. We are the person we are with the memories we keep. And we are the person we are with the memories we have forgotten”
This is the phrase that embodies the essence of the film “Man in the Attic” made by the Director and screenwriter Costantino Venetopoulos, screened at the 62nd edition of the Thessaloniki film festival.
This film is about an aspiring writer, Sebastian, who suffers from psychomatic problems that prevent him from writing. From this disorder, the protagonist will start his personal journey and with the help of a therapist will try to relive childhood memories and find what holds him back and creates fear.
Some films, through an intelligent work of writing, have the power to put the viewer in the role of the protagonist of the film. This movie does exactly that: through the memories, the childhood, the personal failures and the sense of frustration of the protagonist, the spectator inevitably identifies with the actor who guides the plot through his story.
This result demonstrates the success of the film: a bridge made of emotions and empathy has been succesfully built between the protagonist and the viewer.
The director himself, after the screening of the film, to the question posed by the audience about the message he wants to convey to the viewer claimed:
«We can communicate in many ways, but most of all I want to show how human beings are connected through emotions.»
This genre of movie is closer to a work of personal introspection rather than a mere work of entertainment. And it does so through music, the central part of the film. Wanting to go to extremes, it can be said that music is the real protagonist of this film. The influence of music, in this psychological thriller, is clear and clear starting from the cast: Luciana Paris, who plays Sebastian’s girlfriend and future wife, is a professional dancer in her film debut.
And not only that: the film also features the opera by Leslie Ann Lopez, Jennifer Lopez’s sister.
«Sound design is used as a tool to represent the unconscious and psychoanalysis. I consider music a great memory tool and I am fascinated by how it can bring certain moments back to light.»
Costantine Venetopoulos
The relationship between music and mind has been a subject of study for decades: A recent article from New York Times highlights how music can affect health, stating that “the healing power of music is now being validated by medial research. It is used in targeted treatments for asthma, autism, depression and more, including brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and stroke.”
Additionally, a review conducted by Daniel J. Levitin at Mcgill University in 2013 states that “listening to music was more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety prior to surgery.”
To give a conclusion to this article, I could provide a list of sources that agree with the above; or again: a famous quote that contains the meaning of my article in a few words.
However, since we talked about emotions, memories and how music can have an influence on them, I think the best conclusion may be to suggest a song, advise you to take your headphones and let yourself be carried away by memories.
And let the memories lead to other memories.
