Laurence Boyce | On 22, Dec 2021

Director: Mark Cousins
Cast: Mark Cousins
Certificate: 15

10 years on since his epic documentary series The Story of Film – his 15-hour odyssey exploring the evolution of cinema since its invention – Mark Cousins returns with A New Generation. Here, he ponders on the past decade and shows that, even in a relatively short amount of time, there have been seismic shifts within the art form and that the cinema continues to grow and develop at a rapid pace.

Those familiar with The Story of Film – and, indeed, Cousins recent other spectacular Women Make Film – will find very little deviation from his approach to the subject. Using clips from countless movies from across the world, Cousins examines films and filmmakers and tries to unpack why a film or director has become of vital importance to film history. Often he’ll explain – in his infamous Belfast lilt – how a scene is actually working cinematically, discussing it in terms of framing, lighting, editing and performance. His analysis is never couched with the world of academia.

There’s an intelligence and insight but his passion and excitement is also allowed to shine through. Barely suppressed laughter as he explains how the ridiculous opening credits of Deadpool lays bare the clichés of an entire genre. The joy of talking about and lauding the likes of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul and his film Cemetery of Splendour, becoming hypnotised by its dream-like state. As has become normal for Cousins, the point of the exercise isn’t one of didacticism but of shared love and a desire to inspire.

This look at a new decade – divided into two parts, one entitled Extending the Language of Film and the other more ambiguously called What Have We Been Digging For? – does highlight just how much change there has been for the art form over the past 10 years. Technologically, we have the likes of Sean Baker’s Tangerine (shot on three iPhones) to show how the likes of smartphones and GoPros have changed the game more than was first thought during the digital revolution of the 2000s. The rise of YouTube and Netflix are touched upon alongside VR and new forms of narrative including Black Mirror’s choose-your-own-adventure-style special, Bandersnatch. Politically, Cousins talks about how both the horror film and documentary have had something of a renaissance in terms of modern-day concerns and the current pandemic is also addressed with both a sense of ruefulness yet a glimpse of hope for the future of cinema.

Those expecting the dominant form of current cinema to be a chief preoccupation will be disappointed. Apart from some exploration of the Afrofuturism at the heart of Black Panther, the comic book and Hollywood blockbuster gets scant attention. This is not from a place of snobbishness (Cousins still waxes lyrical about the likes of Mad Max: Fury Road and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) but stems from his comments in the original Story of Film. Film history is racist and sexist by omission. As blockbuster movies nestle happily next to films from Uganda, Cousins happily highlights the global reach of the cinema and enjoys shining a light on those films that the mainstream ignores.

Indeed, The Story of Film is something of a paean to diversity and richness and will have many a film fan adding films to their to-watch list. Yet while Cousins is mainly passionate at showcasing the “now”, he still makes time to make links with cinema history. Ali Abbasi’s bold and provocative Border is contrasted with Tod Browning’s classic film Freaks, for example – today’s cinema is still informed by the rich history of the medium.

While chiefly made up of film clips, The Story of Film: A New Generation includes snippets of footage short by Cousins and collaborators – the opening of a Belarusian documentary festival or the invigorating final shot of children visiting a cinema. But we also see numerous instances of people closing their eyes, falling into a dream state. Cousins shows us that dreams still live within the realms of cinema. And that the greatest films still can offer us hope, escape and contemplation.

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