Through these complex discussions, Richard Ledes takes a neutral approach to filmmaking, and rightly so. The composition is fixed, tightly framed, and lets the actors move around the frame as they exchange ideas, sometimes leaving the shot only to return. This use of the frame works perfectly during a sequence between Chris and Vanessa, debating their views of society without ever touching. The two don’t really listen to each other, and a constant ideological and physical distance can be felt in this couple, symbolizing a yawning fracture in their functioning.
“….bound to stick in the mind …”
But by dint of its wide-ranging subject matter, Ikonophile Z loses its narrative thread in the second act: the publication of Chris’s book and his brand. Very representative of Chris’s cerebral functioning, who, for an author of a book about distraction in the world, is more distracted than ever and never manages to focus on his main task. But as a filmic and narrative form, this leaves the impression that the film loses its main dramatic node and leaves us on the sidelines watching Chris be “the most pedantic man I know.”
However, it’s impossible for Ikonophile Z to be left unreflected after its viewing, discussing all the big hot-button issues of our time. One is bound to stick in the mind as well as a large number of authors and philosophers to research. And although he sometimes approaches exhaustion with his dialogue and his character, Richard Ledes manages to touch us with beautiful phrases like “As a child, when my eyes were my only camera. When I was mad at someone, I would make them make out of focus.” In the end, thanks to its effective visual simplicity and rich dialogue, Ikonophile Z is sure to stay in your memory as a work that pushes its concept to the limit.
"…It's impossible for Ikonophile Z to be left unreflected after its viewing."
