Manifesto

In German video artist Julian Rosefeldt’s film, Cate Blanchett plays 13 characters reciting artistic manifestos on Abstract Expressionism, Surrealism, Minimalism and more. Lest it all get too highbrow, the film reveals its humor in wry segments: Tristan Tzara’s Dadaist worldview delivered at a funeral; Claes Oldenburg’s Pop Art poetry as a pre-meal grace. With 100 years of artistic directives condensed into 100 minutes, you can’t hope to make sense of it all. Not on your first watch, anyway.