On Sunday Afternoon 1967
Jean-Claude Brisseau's *On Sunday Afternoon* (1967) is a haunting short film that weaves melancholy into its very fabric, blending stark black-and-white visuals with a voiceover that lingers like a shadow.
Director: Jean-Claude Brisseau
Cast
Frequently Asked Questions
What is On Sunday Afternoon (1967) about?
*On Sunday Afternoon* explores the weight of human despair through a minimalist narrative set in a single afternoon. The film examines melancholy not just as an emotion but as a philosophical state, using Freud's theories to bridge personal grief with universal existential questions.
Who directed On Sunday Afternoon?
The film was directed by Jean-Claude Brisseau, a French filmmaker known for his introspective and often experimental approach to storytelling.
Who stars in On Sunday Afternoon?
The cast features Jean-Claude Brisseau himself, who both directs and narrates the film.
Is On Sunday Afternoon (1967) worth watching?
While *On Sunday Afternoon* is a niche experimental short, its depth and philosophical ambition make it compelling for fans of arthouse cinema. Its brevity and thematic richness reward those seeking more than surface-level entertainment.
How long is On Sunday Afternoon?
The runtime is 26 minutes.
About On Sunday Afternoon (1967) — A Short Film on Melancholy and Existential Despair
Jean-Claude Brisseau's *On Sunday Afternoon* (1967) is a haunting short film that weaves melancholy into its very fabric, blending stark black-and-white visuals with a voiceover that lingers like a shadow. The director himself narrates, guiding the audience through a journey that oscillates between clinical detachment and raw emotional depth. Drawing from classical theories of melancholy—what the ancient Greeks called "black bile"—Brisseau dissects despair with intellectual rigor, only to pivot toward its psychological undercurrents. The film culminates in a poignant quote from Freud's *Mourning and Melancholia*, leaving viewers to ponder the thin line between grief and existential reflection.
Stripped of excess, *On Sunday Afternoon* is a meditation on solitude and the weight of existence, where every frame feels deliberate and every word carries weight. Brisseau's experimental approach transforms a simple Sunday afternoon into a metaphor for life's quiet tragedies, inviting audiences to confront the inescapable nature of despair.