As for the two films made with Hidalgo, Ariganello assumes a role more traditionally defined as “cinematographer,” and his aptitude for composition, lighting and camera movement is skillfully in display throughout. Both works with Hidalgo are to “the real” what the films with Gehman are to “the fantastical,” and are keenly aware of the cinematic traditions from which they emerge. Each draws extensively, in style and structure, from neo-realism and observational documentary, while the function of Hidalgo’s narrator in Gesture operates to construct a story of a not-so-distant future-present, not unlike in Chris Marker’s La Jetée (1962). — James Missen
