Inquadrare la distanza. Note a partire da Gus Van Sant e Michelangelo Antonioni attraverso Simone Weil

The present article aims at comparing some of Simone Weil’s concepts regarding the theme of distance with the theoretical background of two movies: Elephant (2003) by Gus Van Sant and Blow-up (1966) by Michelangelo Antonioni. Elephant shows the imbalance which arises when the social body is not build on the basis of a measured distance, therefore producing a catastrophic effect which threatens to disintegrate the social system. The gaze of the director is placed at the right distance from the catastrophe and it recognises the malheur, i.e. Simone Weil’s misfortune. Nevertheless, the lack of a mystical interpretation of reality marks a distinction between Gus Van Sant’s work and Simone Weil’s thought. In Blow-up Thomas, an artist capable of acting like a philosopher, investigates the different levels of reality, intertwined with appearance, illusion and hallucination. His interpretation of reality shows that it is necessary to find out the right distance in order to frame the catastrophic event and to reach the unknowable origin of reality. This perspective can be connected with Simone Weil’s concept of lecture. Elephant follows the movements of reality, recording its more or less violent vibrations; Blow-up stresses the edges of reality, opening a metaphysical space in which reality and appearance are brought to coincidence.