Synopsis
“I boarded a container ship for a round trip from Europe to China. At Le Havre harbour, I tuned off my phone. On my voicemail and email box, I had left a message: no need trying to leave me a message for the next three months. I’ve casted off. I’ve left the land. On board, I’ve lived at the rhythm of the container ship and its men, as they slowly crossed the globe through the oceans. On board, I was where I was, with the winds, with the oceans, with the containers and the engines. I tried to capture some of that with my microphones. CARGO is a journey to listen to.”
A word from Tënk
Sophie Berger’s CARGO stands alone in its evocative use of sound. From the bridge humming with orders and manoeuvres, to the vast holds creaking and moaning under the swell, to the bow that fiercely splits the ocean, the microphone probes every hidden nook of a vast and yet constrained cargo ship. The ship’s immense steel body sways and screams at the whim of the winds and the waves, becoming a sort of musical instrument whose song is skillfully captured by Berger.
The filmmaker was invited aboard a cargo ship from Le Havre to China, and back. Microphone-tipped antennae lead us through a maze of immersive sound experiences, a life-size and detailed description of the vessel not unlike an ethnographical study. This sonic exploration inevitably draws comparisons to the work of artist Yann Paranthoën (Le phare des Roches-Douvre), whose admirable ability to “paint with sound” left an unparalleled legacy.
Daniel Capeille
Sound recordist, sound designer and sound editor
