August 2025

Chain
2004, Germany/USA, dir. Jem Cohen, 99 mins


NOTES:

Originally written for the Perverts newsletter, 08/22/25.

Cohen is known for his experimental, photographic, narrative film style, working mostly with musicians and others in the Art World. Randomly, he directed this short video/documentary with Elliott Smith in 1997, which was a major staple on my Portland, OR college campus.

Chain is a meditation on the detritus of western capitalism and its impact on how we understand ourselves and relationships. It confronts themes of identity similar to the other films in this program, but through the lens of capitalism and the alienation of Western life. Conceptions of self are crafted from corporate affiliation and consumer autonomy, seemingly disparate lifestyles can be transposed to reveal a more uniform condition. The sprawl as persona.

It's challengingly ambient, quiet to the point of discomfort, and visually just so striking.


FURTHER READING:

2015 interview with Jem Cohen, Revolver Mag (it's illegible on their site so I copy/pasted in a google doc)
"All the world's a carpark" — 2005, The Guardian