The Garden

Plot

A nearly wordless visual narrative intercuts two main stories and a couple of minor ones. A woman, perhaps the Madonna, brings forth her baby to a crowd of intrusive paparazzi; she tries to flee them. Two men who are lovers marry and are arrested by the powers that be. The men are mocked and pilloried, tarred, feathered, and beaten. Loose in this contemporary world of electrical-power transmission lines is also Jesus. The elements, particularly fire and water, content with political power, which is intolerant and murderous.

Why watch

A woman, possibly the Madonna, struggles to protect her newborn from a throng of relentless paparazzi, while two men in love face brutal persecution from a society that refuses to accept them. Watching this film is like stepping into a vivid dream where the boundaries of reality blur, and the emotional weight of love and loss hangs palpably in the air.

Talking points

• the role of media in personal trauma
• the intersection of love and societal oppression
• the symbolism of fire and water
• the impact of cultural representation on identity

Cultural context

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