
Had Keiller wished to film a European country in a state of economic collapse, he could have taken his cameras to Greece. Of course, the lessons of their bloated government sector would not necessarily fit with Ruins’ world view. Instead, we hear Vanessa Redgrave’s silky narration make tenuous connections between the abandoned fuel depots and lonely mile markers Robinson ostensibly shot and the promised economic collapse, supposedly prefigured by the global recession we now find ourselves in. Indeed, when watching Ruins, one gets the sense the British economy of 2009 solely revolved around delivering fuel to American military bases.
Keiller is a lovely nature photographer, capturing some very pleasant images of bees pollinating flowers. However, his cocktail of actual and fictionalized economic history lacks punch, despite its didacticism. Consequently, the film is largely dependent on its static images, leading to long periods of drift, as when th

“Experimental film” is always a tough sell, particularly those that mix in extreme politics for good measure. However, smart and nuanced “cinematic essays” that also provide viewers hooks to hold onto, like Amie Siegel’s DDR/DDR, demonstrate the perniciousness of such labels. In contrast, Ruins really is a film for devotees of the avant-garde, pretty much exclusively. It will probably find an appreciative audience at the Anthology sometime in the future and is sure to play numerous college campuses. It screens this Sunday (9/26) at Alice Tully Hall as part of the NYFF.