Céline Roustan
When filmmaker Julie Buck inherited miles of old film reel, full of family footage, it triggered a reflection on the meaning of capturing memories. Left wondering what happens to the memories, especially dark ones, that are not recorded and how they fit in our appreciation of the past, she created the deeply personal documentary Double Exposed. Using a double exposed reel of the aforementioned home videos, this four-minute short captures her family dynamic at a surface level and contrasts it with her recounting of how complex the situation actually was.
“I wanted to express the dichotomy of how simple things may look on the surface, compared with how complex they can be underneath”
With her grandfather habitually videotaping all sorts of family gatherings, Buck was handed a lifetime of memories when she was left the recordings in his will. With the filmmaker admitting (in the film) that she perceived it as some kind of message he was sending her, it’s only at the short’s conclusion that we begin to understand the importance of these super8 films. With the dark truth that Buck reveals towards the end of the film, it makes it all the more impactful that she was the one to inherit all of this footage, as the emotional journey and questions that emerge in Double Exposed take on a much deeper meaning.
“I wanted to express the dichotomy of how simple things may look on the surface, compared with how complex they can be underneath”, she explains. By sharing this very intimate footing, Buck welcomes us on her own personal trip down memory lane, with the mundane family moments meaning the film has a more universal angle – one we can all relate to. The fact that she chose a reel of family footage double exposed with shots from the winter Olympics helps to trigger a certain reflection on the meaning of capturing those moments, and what it feels like to watch them back, much later.
An example of the titular double exposure present in the archival family footage.
Once that dark family secret is revealed, everything takes on a different meaning. The idea that recording some memories, while deliberately concealing others, might alter our relationship to the past was one that really crept up on me. Those memories that we have visual proof of tend to stay present in our mind for longer, while those we have no records of slowly drift away. So what about a traumatic event where the mind might already cope by actively altering it? In Buck’s case, given who is holding the camera, the darkness of the reality grows even darker. Her narration is vulnerable without being overly dramatic, enhancing the contrast between the footage, the visual surface of the memory and what was actually happening. Double Exposed leaves its audience with an unshakable feeling that sticks with you long after the film has finished.
Double Exposed had an impressive festival run with notable stops at Hot Docs, the Palm Springs ShortFest, Hamptons and Nashville. Buck is currently directing two experimental shorts, one about Rudolph Valentino and the other about fame in the 30s, while also producing a feature with Tim Blake Nelson about the death penalty.