Transatlantique

Documentary essay about life aboard a transatlantic freighter. A microcosm, in poetic black-and-white and with an allaying soundtrack, that not only reveals the vulnerability of people in the face of technology and nature, but also shows the everyday nature of this life, in which there is space on the open seas for an improvised game of cricket. A poetic film essay about life aboard a huge freighter crossing the Atlantic Ocean. For the men who live aboard, the immense vessel is both workplace and playground. From fixed and occasionally alienating camera angles, everyday life aboard this sailing microcosm is recorded in black & white: the hard work in the impressive bowels of the ship, the moments of relaxation with a board game or improvised cricket, but also the ubiquitous, indifferent water that puts the size of the tanker into perspective. Contours of a symbiotic trinity gradually emerge: nature, technology and humanity, the last being the most vulnerable. The score comprises ominous music along with the soundtrack of life aboard: the shouting of the men, the stamping diesel engines and the roaring ocean.