The presentation is simple, a public park plaza in New York City, empty except for two people, Chris (T. Ryder Smith), and his friend and collaborating photographer Laura (Mitzi Akaha). Chris is about to publish his book “On Distraction” and needs to think about how to market his brand, his name, his book. A very foreign, even alien concept for a man who tries as hard as he can to reject the capitalist, material world around him.
Written and directed by Richard Ledes, Ikonophile Z takes the form of a hybrid narrative between theater and cinema, with a minimal number of characters and a strong focus on dialogue. An aesthetic and rhythm quite similar to that of the French New Wave, with highly reflective characters like those of Jean-Luc Godard. In his quest to reflect on himself and his surroundings, Chris talks to Laura and his ex-wife Vanessa (Betsy Aidem) about theories on consumerism, class struggle, the #MeToo movement, and the possibility that all the birds in the park are actually machines.
“….needs to think about how to market his brand, his name, his book….”
Chris knows a lot of authors, books, and theories, and he can’t help but let those around him know, immersing himself in long monologues about ideas that could change society. However, his personal situation doesn’t really change: Laura and Vanessa love talking to him just as much as they hate it, which makes his relationships with these women all the more complex and ambiguous. A kind of seduction game is sometimes played between Laura and Chris, only to be defused a few minutes later. Vanessa, on the other hand, has a perfect grasp of the man she once loved, a man who is highly educated but deeply lost in his approach to every project he embarks on.
"…It's impossible for Ikonophile Z to be left unreflected after its viewing."
