Magnifica: Passive Intruder

It is more often than not that we don’t know how, we don’t wish to, or we find it hard to accept what we perceive as intruders. Undoubtedly a remnant of our latent, seemingly innocent childhood selfishness, the feeling of being under attack or at risk of being dominated, persists, even in those of us who are generally welcoming and tolerant. But the blind belief that the elements that make up this world are inherently good is also a self-defence mechanism. Ville Koskinen’s Magnifica: Passive Intruder dramatizes this issue by looking at moss animals – some gelatinous dwellers of the waters. The film is much like a walk on a tightrope: it strives to look down, even down below the surface, and to still somehow not fall on either side. (Emil Vasilache)