The Critic: maybe a flâneur, but not a dilettante
I see the critic as a upside down prism, that absorbs different stimuli from the world and gathers them in a unique beam put in words.
Janaina Navarro
As a young Visual Arts student, and in my work as a critic I try to articulate realms of knowledge seen as diverse. I believe in an interdisciplinarity of Arts, and I see in cinema the possibility of putting them together, creating new significations and significances. In my texts I look to, rather than judging an art work, reading it. I see the work of the critic as someone who tries to analyze the content of the subject through his personal reading. In that reading can be the possibility of creating new associations and, therefore, new layers for the work. In a certain way, I see the critic as a upside down prism, that absorbs different stimuli from the world – cinema, music, visual arts, daily routine, readings, politics, etc – and gather them in a unique beam put in words. In my role as a critic I try to share my reading and maybe bring new angles of comprehension for those who are interested, and give my contribution to a bigger debate. I also believe in the necessity of a critic being always open for what happens around him, without prejudices toward any kind of artistic manifestation.
Therefore, within the world scenario of criticism, I see myself as someone looking for space to share ideas and reflections. Inside the Brazilian sphere, however, this work is not so easy. Even though we have some excellent cinematic thinkers, it is very hard to find or keep printed magazines with space for deep reflections about cinema. Most Brazilian criticism only maintains their existence through the Internet, with online magazines and websites. The common media such as daily newspapers and weekly magazines don’t usually publish real criticism, but only some kind of cultural journalism, based on grades and short reviews. From time to time some specialized magazine appears, but usually only those that make intellectual concessions are able to keep going.
However, I see the situation of Brazilian cinema with optimism. The incentive laws (based on tax deduction), are contributing with our cinematographic production – which had been suffering with a monetary shortage, that may had delayed it. Nowadays directors can look for this aid, which enables the process of making a movie. That, further then bringing us some young and new filmmakers, gives the possibility of great directors to develop their works and improve it with each new film. The fact that these filmmakers are able to regularly make new movies is, without a doubt, a very positive aspect of Brazilian cinema today.
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