Oscilloscope Laboratories wasted no time in acquiring the distribution rights to first-time writer/director Ann Oren’s Piaffe. The film made its debut at the Locarno Film Festival in August of 2022 and before the screenings finished the deal was done.
Piaffe then began a year-long journey, working the international festival circuit, taking honors and awards at Locarno, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Achtung Berlin Film Festival (a sweep — Best Director, Best Production), Gérardmer Film Festival and more. An impressive list to be sure!
Oscilloscope opened the film domestically in August of last year … an ever so brief arthouse run. The ARR works out to a leisurely 298 days.
And now the wait is over with news this past week that both DVD and Blu-ray editions of filmmaker Ann Oren’s Piaffe will be available on June 18.
So what do we have here? If we reference David Lynch as a starring point, perhaps throw in a mention of Fellini or David Cronenberg, then you might be prepared for what is to come.
The film opens with our protagonist, Eva (Simone Bucio — The Untamed, Anna’s Desires), receiving a phone call. It is her sister Tara’s employer wanting to know where his sound effects are.
We quickly learn a couple of important story points. First, Zara is a foley artist (sound effects) and she has been working on a project for a big pharmaceutical company. Second, Zara (played by actor/director Simon(e) Jaikiriuma Paetau — The Whisper of the Jaguar) has had a nervous breakdown and is now institutionalized.
And lastly, and perhaps of the most importance with respect to how the story unfolds, Eva is a mousy doormat with no foley artist skills … but she’s willing to give it a go for her sister.
The apartment is all set up with sound recording equipment and the expected sound-creating set, which in this case (that pesky commercial) is a sandbox and the props necessary to created the sound of a horse’s hoofs prancing (the film’s title, “Piaffe,” is a dressage term for trotting in place).
That phone call sets everything in motion and takes us down a “Lynchian” rabbit hole that includes such bizarre stopping points as the nut house where Zara resides — a surreal establishment run by what can be described as a neo-Nazi — and Eva learning the ins and outs of foley work.
This leads us to her obsession with a horse (the focal point of the drug commercial), where she begins to grow a horse’s tail, a trip to the doctor to confirm the new appendage (complete with X-Rays), which leads to an erotic sexual encounter with a botanist (or is he a pteridologist?) named Novak (Sebastian Rudolph — A Voluntary Year). He takes delight in stroking Eva’s tail.
If you are having a difficult time with these plot points, might we suggest a look-see at either the DVD or Blu-ray editions from Oscilloscope on June 18. Filmmaker Ann Oren’s Piaffe is certainly a visual delight (on so many levels) … you will not be disappointed.
Bonus features include a video session with Oren and “video journals” of the film’s production.
Piaffe is presented in German with English subtitles.
