December 28, 2022
FILM: THE SUPER 8 YEARS
DIRECTED BY ANNIE ERNAUX, DAVID ERNAUX-BRIOT
RATING: 3 OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
Found family footage has been the subject of numerous documentaries in the past few years shedding light on a significant figure’s life or journey. The Super 8 Years is a chronological unfolding of the home movies taken by the husband of French author and Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux from 1972 until 1981. I know how precious such films are. My own mother documented my siblings and I on 8mm film and then Super 8 from the mid-1950s until, coincidentally, 1981. So, this era is especially of interest to me as are the silent movies that meant so much to our family during those years and in 2020 when our mother passed. The quality of our own movies varies depending on where footage was shot and how much light was available. At home, we had major bright spotlights that left most people covering their eyes or squinting for good chunks of the filming.
Ernaux does an interesting job choosing the many clips from her family films. (We can only assume she had more than the one hour’s worth which make up the running time of The Super 8 Years.) Since all of it was shot silently, Ernaux adds her own voice over narration as well as a few sound effects such as dogs barking, birds chirping, and fireworks exploding. She frames the narrative around the purchase of a Bell & Howell camera in 1972 until the dissolution of her marriage in 1981 when her then husband took the camera but left her with all of the footage.
The big question is why we might be interested in someone else’s home movies. There’s got to be a reason to pull it together for an audience outside the family. Since Ernaux is a celebrated author, anything she creates would be of interest to her many fans. However, not having the background on her work that others might, I was pleasantly surprised by what she includes here and how her framing of these years represents key moments for her family and the world in which she travels.
The family footage is very relatable to me: Christmas day opening gifts, outdoor trips, etc. Ernaux discusses the notable happy moments that are caught on film. Her sons grow up, perform for the camera, and eventually become somewhat distant teenagers. (We all go through this…) However, what might make this project of interest to audiences beyond this are the various trips abroad the family takes. Throughout, there are moments captured in Chile, Albania, England, Spain, Portugal, and Russia. Often Ernaux notes how the images reflect a specific time in these countries that, in some cases, would completely change in the following years. Ernaux touches on some of the social/political strife occurring at the time of filming. So, in essence, we get a time capsule rooted in a country’s history.
Surprisingly, most of the footage here is in good shape. The camera suggests that its operator (Ernaux’s ex-husband) was very good at utilizing a steady hand. Images are, at times, slightly grainy but clearly the family preserved this footage quite well.
Ultimately, Ernaux gives us hints of changes to come within her own family unit. She mentions “underlying marital discord” and “bonds unraveling.” While not a lot of details are given, these words suggest how often we present ourselves without a lot of disclosure. Usually this means: in the best possible light. Who would know what is going beyond our personal frames unless they’re told? We live in an era now where people only want to present the best of themselves on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Ernaux’s own sharing of her footage and her careful reflection back on this era provides that additional memory lens which fills in the gaps and presents the fascinating deeper journey of her family and the world in which she visited so many years ago.
The Super 8 Years is currently playing in limited theatrical release.
FILM: THE SUPER 8 YEARS
DIRECTED BY ANNIE ERNAUX, DAVID ERNAUX-BRIOT
RATING: 3 OUT OF 4 STARS
By Dan Pal
Found family footage has been the subject of numerous documentaries in the past few years shedding light on a significant figure’s life or journey. The Super 8 Years is a chronological unfolding of the home movies taken by the husband of French author and Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux from 1972 until 1981. I know how precious such films are. My own mother documented my siblings and I on 8mm film and then Super 8 from the mid-1950s until, coincidentally, 1981. So, this era is especially of interest to me as are the silent movies that meant so much to our family during those years and in 2020 when our mother passed. The quality of our own movies varies depending on where footage was shot and how much light was available. At home, we had major bright spotlights that left most people covering their eyes or squinting for good chunks of the filming.
Ernaux does an interesting job choosing the many clips from her family films. (We can only assume she had more than the one hour’s worth which make up the running time of The Super 8 Years.) Since all of it was shot silently, Ernaux adds her own voice over narration as well as a few sound effects such as dogs barking, birds chirping, and fireworks exploding. She frames the narrative around the purchase of a Bell & Howell camera in 1972 until the dissolution of her marriage in 1981 when her then husband took the camera but left her with all of the footage.
The big question is why we might be interested in someone else’s home movies. There’s got to be a reason to pull it together for an audience outside the family. Since Ernaux is a celebrated author, anything she creates would be of interest to her many fans. However, not having the background on her work that others might, I was pleasantly surprised by what she includes here and how her framing of these years represents key moments for her family and the world in which she travels.
The family footage is very relatable to me: Christmas day opening gifts, outdoor trips, etc. Ernaux discusses the notable happy moments that are caught on film. Her sons grow up, perform for the camera, and eventually become somewhat distant teenagers. (We all go through this…) However, what might make this project of interest to audiences beyond this are the various trips abroad the family takes. Throughout, there are moments captured in Chile, Albania, England, Spain, Portugal, and Russia. Often Ernaux notes how the images reflect a specific time in these countries that, in some cases, would completely change in the following years. Ernaux touches on some of the social/political strife occurring at the time of filming. So, in essence, we get a time capsule rooted in a country’s history.
Surprisingly, most of the footage here is in good shape. The camera suggests that its operator (Ernaux’s ex-husband) was very good at utilizing a steady hand. Images are, at times, slightly grainy but clearly the family preserved this footage quite well.
Ultimately, Ernaux gives us hints of changes to come within her own family unit. She mentions “underlying marital discord” and “bonds unraveling.” While not a lot of details are given, these words suggest how often we present ourselves without a lot of disclosure. Usually this means: in the best possible light. Who would know what is going beyond our personal frames unless they’re told? We live in an era now where people only want to present the best of themselves on Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. Ernaux’s own sharing of her footage and her careful reflection back on this era provides that additional memory lens which fills in the gaps and presents the fascinating deeper journey of her family and the world in which she visited so many years ago.
The Super 8 Years is currently playing in limited theatrical release.