A R C H I E F1 9 9 6  
.14
  Deborah Wasserman
Savage crops
  USA 1995
Videotape, 10:40, black-and-white, mono
Drip, drip, blob. Jolly bathroom sounds. Come on darling girl, your hair needs washing, but what are you doing with that octopus between your legs? Shall I just dunk you under the water? No, don’t struggle. ‘Savage Crops’ is the probing tale of rivalry between a mother and a child. Their relationship is characterised by jealousy and hate. By continually changing the perspective between mother and child, Deborah Wasserman leaves the question about their real relationship unanswered. Is the adult woman in fact the mother, is she not a projection of the child? The motherly woman with her detached look of reluctance remains unchanged while the child is now and then transformed into a young woman. The question arises as to whether this is the effect of a deeply rooted trauma, or whether Wasserman is representing the traditional battle between mother and daughter in a surrealistic way. ‘Savage Crops’ is, however, particularly disturbing.

Erik Quint

Light, Camera Mike Guralnik, Editing Doron Benvenisti, Thomas Hamilton, Sound, Music David Bartel, With Tayana Zbirovskaya, Deborah Wasserman, Suf Oster


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