Walking On Water (Andrey M. Paounov, 2018) (Patreon)

This is a somewhat straightforward documentary from the Bulgarian filmmaker Paounov, whose previous work was a bit more on the essayistic side. Georgi and the Butterflies and especially The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories had a certain ideational sprawl to them that Walking On Water definitely does not. The new film is focused exclusively on the production of a major work by grand-scale artist Christo, his "Floating Pier" project in Italy. Pictured above, the work involves three kilometers of floating, interlocking plastic cells that form a pathway that is responsive to both human movement and the motion of the water. All of that is covered by Christo's trademark saffron colored material.

The film, however, is somewhat frustrating, particularly for a Christo fan such as myself. We actually get very little in the way of the project's conception or even its production. How are technical problems solved? We rarely see that part. Instead, Paounov is more interested in the public face of "Christo," his celebrity and interface with the public. The film is very concerned about the layers of political bureaucracy that must be navigated for Christo to get the go-ahead to produce one of his mega-sculptures. In short, we see a lot of Christo slouching through meetings with Italian men in suits.

We do see problems in the installation, and the artist's production manager / nephew, Vladimir Yavachev, acting as the heavy in various situations so that Christo, whose anger tends toward hysteria, can get his way. But there is nothing here to equal the five Christo films that Albert Maysles and his team made over 20+ years. Those films are documents of the creative process, of construction and problem-solving, as well as the inevitable clashes with politicians. But in those films one gets a clear sense of what it takes to mount one of these massive artworks, By contrast, Walking On Water tends to regard Christo's act as a holy miracle, only stymied by those who refuse to believe.