Su Friedrich’s films are both formally rigorous and intimate. In the fourteen-minute 16mm film Gently Down the Stream (1981), she uses fragmentary words and images to render dreams recorded in her journals.
Discussion Questions
After watching this clip from Gently Down the Stream, consider the questions below. Then submit your response.
1. Describe each kind of image and sound used in the film and consider how they work together or in counterpoint. Are there any elements that bring to mind influences outside of film?
2. How do the themes of the film relate to the images and sounds?