Ether

As early as the 1970s, Velu Viswanadhan started on the five part series Elements that, after Sand, Water, Fire and Air, is now completed with Ether. Just as in the previous parts, there is no script. Viswanadhan, who is also a talented painter, likes to start with an empty canvas, so he prefers to see his films emerge before his very eyes during shooting. Eau/Ganga, highly regarded at festivals, had a tangible subject, the river Ganges, a powerful element in Indian culture. However the invisible element Ether, just like Air/Vayu, guarantees an artistic adventure. Viswanadhan regards the film Ether as the perspective of death (the camera) on life and the living. An impartial look at material and spiritual life and on its insignificance. Ether is regarded by many as the spirit or reason that animates life. In order to fathom the true mystery, Viswanadhan makes an epic journey through India, during which he records the rituals of various religions surrounding death. He also films art and architecture in which expressions of the invisible emerge. This unusual documentary is made up of untroubled images in which one can always feel the love for the subject. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)