David against Goliath
David B. Ricard / 2022 / 96 min. / Canada / ENGLISH SUBS / Canada
Synopsis
Haunted by three unfinished films, a filmmaker seeks to demystify his relationship with failure through encounters with past collaborators. He confronts his demons surrounded by musicians, dance artists and his accomplices from that time. With the help of digital reprinting processes, he revisits the images of these abandoned short fiction films. He parallels his quest with that of David's mythical battle with the giant Goliath.
Cast & Crew
Screenplay: David B. Ricard
Cinematographer: Julie Pelletier
Editor: Annie Hardy
Sound: David B. Ricard
Sound mix: Julien Éclancher
Sound editor: Julien Éclancher
Music: Érick d’Orion et Andrew Beaudoin
Artistic director: Laurie Carrier
Production: David B. Ricard
Production Delegate: Guillaume Collin
Genre
Topics
Trailer
Biography
David B. Ricard works in Quebec City as an independent director and video designer for the performing arts. His work deals with intimacy and questions the cinematic medium as well as the representation of the self through personal archives. His first feature-length documentary, Surfing on grace (2016) follows his connection to his younger brother, a champion skateboard slalom racer. In Living Vocalities (2018), he documents the journey of translating a Quebec poem across the Canadian Francophone landscape. David against Goliath (2022) is his third feature-length documentary.
Photo : Elias Djemil
Filmography
2018
Living vocalities / 80 min.
2016
Surfing on grace / 60 min.
Festivals
- 2022 -
Official selection | RIDM, Canada
Director's statement
In the feature documentary David against Goliath (2022), I explore the concept of failure through three unfinished films from the beginning of my career. It is common for creators to have incomplete or even abandoned projects. I decided to delve into my past and meet with my collaborators from these projects to understand why these films never saw the light of day. In continuity with my two previous films, I use the act of filmmaking as a tool of introspection to dig into an understanding of myself. My conversations become a way to share this quest and generate a dialogue about our respective experiences.
In David against Goliath, I draw on techniques from documentary and video art. The film also represents an opportunity to question and expand upon these techniques within the creative process. The film utilizes personal video diaries, the archives of unfinished films, discussions with collaborators from the three projects, visual and sound explorations with musicians, and the staging of the biblical story of David and Goliath. Each part is realized with a unique texture and rhythm, creating a hybrid aesthetic. Through these encounters, I explore the universal subjects of; failure, success, abandonment, friendship, envy, pride, anxiety and depression.
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