Monólogo colectivo (Collective Monologue). 2024. Argentina/UK. Directed by Jessica Sarah Rinland. With Macarena Santa María Lloydi, María Jose Micale, Alicia Delgado. Courtesy Grasshopper Films. US premiere. In Spanish; English subtitles. 104 min.
Jessica Sarah Rinland’s Collective Monologue is that rarest of breeds, humble yet imaginative, as it depicts the kinship between caregivers and animals in Argentina’s zoos and wildlife sanctuaries. Using a variety of technologies—16mm, surveillance, and infrared cameras; a symphony of animal and industrial sounds; and historical ephemera—Rinland creates a tactile experience of a cloistered world beset by rapid change. Collective Monologue is also a portrait of the workers who toil in anonymity yet allow themselves to feel all the love, anguish, and responsibility that goes into any meaningful relationship. The history of cinema is littered with attempts to anthropomorphize animals, either by rationalizing their behavior as projections of our own or even by putting words in their mouths. Rinland makes no such arrogant claims to dominion or certitude. Small wonder, then, that Collective Monologue has been a standout at recent festivals, including Locarno, the Viennale, London, and TIFF’s Wavelength section.