i shall sing these songs beautifully is an inspired collection of behind-the-scenes photographs taken by one of contemporary cinema’s most lauded art-house heroes.
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of contemporary cinema’s most lauded art-house heroes; recently appealing to mainstream audiences as well as those of us who have followed his work since Dogtooth. Published by Mack, the auteur has released a portfolio of his striking unseen photography behind-the-scenes of the making of Kinds of Kindness. Titled: i shall sing these songs beautifully, the volume follows a similar project for Poor Things, titled Dear God, the Parthenon is still broken. Here we have a collection of haunting, ambiguous images that not only document the project, but almost create an entirely new world out of it. Don’t expect glamorous shots of Willem Dafoe and Emma Stone joking around outside of their trailers. This carefully curated series of images inhabits a strange space between the real location of New Orleans and the cinematic dimension Lanthimos is exploring, almost as though complimenting Kinds of Kindness’s three narratives with a new, fourth element.
One of the best features of this book are the short texts written by Lanthimos himself, which construct new and rich stories that draw on the unsettling atmosphere of his cinema. They are like riddles that surround the eerie, the sexy, the surreal, and the endlessly fascinating images gathered here. My favourites are of Jesse Plemons standing in front of a large painting, and the strange, almost voyeuristic shots of empty pools, Christ statues, and strange rooms with long white curtains.
It’s a perfect gift for any Lanthimos fan (especially if you stepped out of Kinds of Kindness with a big grin on your face) and will also appeal to those with an interest in surreal photography. And through Mack’s publishing expertise, the cover and the quality of this book make it a wonderful coffee table addition for guests to find, flick open, and descend into the thrilling, otherworldly creativity of Yorgos Lanthimos.
i shall sing these songs beautifully is available to purchase here.
