artć + societate / arts + society #38, 2011 20 lei / 11 €, 14 USD - idea

– Aici a fost un fel de bar, club de noapte øi cafenea matinalæ, dar dupæ cum vezi
nu a rezistat øi a dat faliment. Interesant e cæ nimeni nu s-a mai sinchisit sæ dea decorul
jos øi a ræmas aøa cum l-au construit iniflial. Ai impresia cæ intri într-o salæ de muzeu,
cameræ mortuaræ, loc de cult, nu?
– Pare atît de pæræsit. Parcæ s-a întîmplat ceva dintr-odatæ øi oamenii au fugit care
încotro. Mæ simt ca un arheolog-detectiv.
– Da, e înfricoøætor. Hai sæ mergem de aici!
– De ce oare a dat faliment?
[Pe ultimul rînd sînt înøirate urmætoarele imagini: o draperie victorianæ din pluø bleupal
cu dungi negre subfliri, verticale, o fotografie cu o meduzæ eøuatæ la flærm, decupatæ
dintr-o revistæ de promovare a unui concurs de fotografie britanic, o acoperitoare
de ochi pentru dormit din satin alb, lîngæ care scrie: „iatæ biletul de acces spre tærîmul
næzuinflelor latente“, un lanfl argintiu de care atîrnæ o monedæ argintie, o cheie
argintie øi o ghearæ de gæinæ din aur, de la V. Westwood, un pantof mov cu roz medicinal
øi negru gen ’80 românesc, foarte sexy, cu reminiscenfle Apaca 3 , de la Venera
Arapu, apærut în Elle, sept. 2004, cuvîntul „interview“ pe un carton minuscul scris
cu marker negru øi o fotocopie cu desene reprezentînd o coflofanæ, o bufniflæ øi o
ramuræ de trandafir.
Deasupra, pe tavan, umbra neagræ a unui candelabru este tæiatæ în diagonalæ de douæ
neoane paralele.]
– Nu øtiu, de vinæ o fi locul, care e destul de izolat,
chiar dacæ e în centru. Se pare cæ øi cinematograful
este într-un fel de moarte clinicæ, mai
supraviefluieøte doar din cauza oxigenului pompat
de la stat. Fiindcæ nu au bani sæ aducæ filme noi,
îøi fac programul din ceea ce primesc de la celelalte
cinematografe, care sînt sænætoase economic.
Ce nu mai merge acolo e trimis la groapa de
gunoi Lira.
– Un fel de cimitir al filmelor.
– Mi se pare trist cînd un film ajunge aici. – Pur øi
simplu, timp de cîteva sæptæmîni e scos din uz øi
adus aici sæ-øi tragæ sufletul, dupæ care pleacæ mai
departe.
– Unde mai departe? Credeam cæ pleacæ direct la gunoi.
– Nu cred cæ se aruncæ. Ar fi ciudat sæ arunci pelicula, nu? Probabil cæ se recicleazæ
øi se face material plastic.
– Nu cred, e toxicæ.
– Poate îi dau foc într-un tomberon în spatele cinematografului. Øi aøa polueazæ.
– Ar fi interesant sæ urmæreøti traseul unui film, de la scrierea scenariului pînæ la filmare,
montaj øi distribuflie, de la perioada de glorie pînæ la decæderea totalæ, din tomberonul
de la cinematograful Lira.
– Toate drumurile duc la Lira!
Cînd, într-un final, au apærut pe uøa de la intrare cîfliva clienfli rætæcifli, mai precis douæ
cupluri, am flîønit înspre ei sæ-i întrebæm la ce film merg. Pomeneau ceva de Angelina
Jolie øi Alexandru øi dîndu-ne seama cæ eram în minoritate, pentru cæ lor, fiind
patru, li s-ar fi dat drumul la peliculæ, am încercat sæ-i convingem sæ meargæ la Strælucirea
eternæ a minflii neprihænite. Dacæ la început Ioana îi implorase sæ-øi schimbe
opfliunile, acum mai cæ le ordona sæ vadæ filmul æsta care, calitativ, era peste Alexan-
136
Up on the ceiling, the black shadow of a chandelier is crossed diagonally
by two parallel neon lights.]
– I don’t know. Maybe it’s the location, which is a little isolated,
even if close to the centre. It seems that the movieplex is in a sort
of clinical death and survives only due to the oxygen pumped by the
state. Since they don’t have money to buy new films, they make up
their program with leftovers from other movie theatres, which are
economically healthy. What is not needed anymore is sent to Lira
trash bin.
– A sort of movie cemetery.
– It’s kind of sad when a movie gets here. After several weeks it is
out of use and it gets here to take a breath, and then moves forward.
– Forward where? I thought it goes straight to the garbage.
– I don’t think they throw it away. It would be strange to throw
away the film roll, isn’t it. Probably it is being recycled and turned
to plastic.
– I don’t think so, it’s toxic.
– Maybe they burn it in the back of the theatre. It’s polluting either way.
– It would be interesting to follow the trajectory of a movie, from the
writing of the screen play to the footage, editing and distribution,
from its glorious era to the total decadence, inside of a garbage bin
in the back of Lira movie theatre.
– All roads lead to Lira!
When finally some lost customers showed up in the doorstep, more
exactly two couples, we sprang towards them to ask what movie
they were going to.
They said something about
Angelina Jolie and
Alexander and, realizing we
were outnumbered and the
movie would have been chosen
by them, we tried to
convince them to go see
The Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind. If in the
beginning Ioana begged
them to change their option,
now she almost commanded
them to see this movie
which was better than
Alexander, that Alexander’s
story could be found in any
history book and so on and
so forth. Unless the ticket seller didn’t decide in the last minute, not
out of compassion for two patient customers like us who had waited
half an hour for the arrival of other customers, but because she had
already seen Alexander at home, on a DVD and thought it was
stupid, that the six of us would see The Eternal..., probably it would
have ended with swearing from both sides.
And because the projector from room no. 4 had broken, we had to
wait for another half hour until they moved the film role to the basement,
in another room. I’ll never forget that big and terrifying
aluminium wheel, through which you could see the barren denuded
film, oil black with green-bluish reflexes. The man from the technical
department was simply rolling it in the hallway before our eyes and
I felt like I was in a Chinese restaurant where the cook brings before
you the snake alive, for you to know what you are going to eat.
Before exiting, I reminded Ioana about the initial reason of our
meeting, the discussion about reality & fiction.
– What do you think this was?