Utopia in Four Movements

(USA, 2010, 75 mins)

Producers: Sam Green, Carrie Lozano, Jasmine Dellal
Cinematographer: Andy Black
Editors: Sam Green, Dave Cerf
Music: Dave Cerf, Matt McCormick, Tarentel, Todd Griffin, Catherine McCrae, Dennis Cronin

There is a certain sadness to learning that “utopia”—a word that most of us associate with a place of perfection and true happiness—stems from the Greek “ou-topos,” or, literally translated, “no place.” So by their very definition, utopias are unobtainable, but that doesn’t mean mankind has ever stopped trying to achieve them, as demonstrated in this wryly humorous, utterly unique cinematic experience.

Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sam Green and sound artist Dave Cerf have combined forces to create Utopia in Four Movements, a “live documentary” that is never exactly the same twice. While Cerf and the Brooklyn-based band the Quavers provide an evocative soundscape, Green narrates the eclectic history of man’s quest for his ideals, touching on efforts as varied as the creation of Esperanto to the construction of the world’s largest shopping mall, while musing hopefully about what lies ahead. Green is a natural storyteller, and his performance, along with that of the band’s, lends an electrical charge to these proceedings, making for a scintillating evening of film, music, and—most importantly—community.

Doug Jones

Expected to attend: Sam Green, Catherine McRae, Dave Cerf.

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