Maya is Deren Good

I thought Maya Deren's films were pretty groundbreaking.  Not only because of her unique camera angles, scripting, or acting...but mainly thanks to her just being a woman.  It must have been very difficult to gather enough respect to be able to portray her unconventional vision in a world where men called most of the shots.

"At Land" was my favorite film of the 3 we watched.  Maya was born from the waves, which was shot in reverse, and then proceeded to maneuver from scene to eclectic scene.  She climbed up rocks on the beach only to end up crawling through a forest...which then led to her interrupting a dinner party as she slunk over  dinner plates.

Deren seemed to have many different roles that interchanged with each other that may have each represented something in her personality.  One Maya kept picking up rocks and dropping them as her hands got full.  That may have been a message of never being satisfied.  Another Maya was spectating a chess game while beaming a smile and seemingly inciting joy in the players.  Could that have been to show the need for love and affection?  The most peculiar Maya was where she was running with the chess piece.  I assumed this role could describe the fears that everyone has deep down, and always running from.

It was a very vibrant film that really broke a lot of ground.  Both in message and gender.