Literally world-famous in her time but subsequently somewhat forgotten, Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow (1890–1963) popped up already in the first short film installment of Sofia Bohdanowicz‘s Audrey Benac -cycle, Veslemøy's Song (2018): a deeper dive into the history of this musician and the violin concerto Opus 28 – dedicated to her by Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen (1864–1935) and long believed lost – is undertaken in this, the so far latest Audrey-film. As the sombre title suggests, what we have here is a ghost story of sorts, and like practically all ghost stories (and vice versa) also a tale of loss and grief – all recurring elements in Bohdanowicz’s oeuvre. Measures for a Funeral also completes the wide range of film formats in the Benac cycle (from the hand-processed black-and-white 16 mm of Veslemøy's Song to the 3D video in A Woman Escape) with its crystal-clear digital 6K widescreen cinematography, a choice made obvious by the climax of the film, an uninterrupted live concert recording of the two first movements of Halvorsen’s concerto performed by Spanish virtuoso María Dueñas. (HT Nuotio)
Language: English, no subtitles
Finnish premiere
In the presence of Sofia Bohdanowicz