After interviewing Su Friedrich for the film’s 30th anniversary, Rob introduces T to a personal favorite film, Sink or Swim
This week Robert and T tackle a film that is very close to our co-host’s hearts (specifically Robert), Sink or Swim (1990) by iconic director Su Friedrich. It is a masterpiece in autobiographical filmmaking, consisting of 26 vignettes depicting times in Friedrich’s childhood. Robert uses his love of experimental film to describe how Friedrich constructs a strange and unconventional relationship between narration and image to convey her message, while T conflates his feelings about the Dark Souls games to why he loves this film.
Robert draws on his experience interviewing Su Friedrich to relay her thoughts on why she makes her films like puzzles. T comes face to face with the trials and tribulations of summing up a non-narrative film. It took Robert five years before he had a cohesive understanding of the film, so don’t worry if you find yourself scratching your head at this one.
Related: A Reel Rap Tribute to Sink or Swim
Just as Sink or Swim reflects Su Friedrich’s coming of age story, Robert and T raise this egg of a film into a full grown rooster. Pull up to the Drive-In and hear the next entry in our avant-garde journal.
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Su Friedrich Reflects on 30 Years of Sink or Swim
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