Sally Potter’s Rage is as compelling for its mode of release as for the content. It was released exclusively to mobile phones last week over seven days, and then online and on DVD, as well as in select screenings in the UK. The premise of the movie is that a young man named Michelangelo is recording interviews of people involved in a fashion show, but he is doing it all on his mobile phone, so the premise fits the release. Shot on mobile phone, released on mobile phone.
My initial reaction was that I love Sally Potter but do I really want to watch a movie on my iPhone? I gave it a try, and it was an interesting experience. Each installment is around 18 minutes, so I made sure the phone was plugged in to avoid battery drainage. I watched the first two in quick succession, but then didn’t get around to viewing the rest, as I found it hard to find 18 minutes where I wanted to hold my phone in landscape mode. There is no crosscutting or editing at all, except to change from one interviewee to another, so it definitely feels like something shot on a phone.
The film itself is interesting enough; with a star-studded cast (Steve Buscemi, Dianne Wiest, Jude Law, Judi Dench…), and some intrigue, it holds attention. I ammore interested in the context , however — will people who watch this on mobiles form a different opinion from those who first see it in theaters or online?
