EU-29 screening - review - EVAPORATING BORDERS by Iva Radivojevic

Evaporating Borders is an essay documentary that seems to follow in the footsteps of Chris Marker’s work, particularly his seminal and celebrated Sans Soleil. Indeed, here, Iva Radivojevic herself is the traveller and she investigates the subjects of migrants by using the situation in Cyprus as an example and referring to its uncomfortable socio-political stance on the matter.

Apart from the factual observations that occasionally come straight from the source of people who directly experience this awkward and harsh situation of discomfort and poverty, in refugee centres but even on the streets of Cyprus, there is a further rewarding personal vibe that adds a particularly striking element to Evaporating Borders. Radivojevic herself was originally from former Yugoslavia and moved to Cyprus before, again, moving to the States. But apart from the direct personal connection of the filmmaker to her subject, she places herself in first person at the centre of the documentary and allows herself an open minded approach to the themes and issues that arise as she delves and investigates upon migration.

This somewhat philosophical approach is particularly rewarding when she herself comes to question her own frame of mind and comes to personal realisations that not only humanise the subject even further, but also end up forming questions upon the documentary genre as a whole, as well as the role of the filmmaker in general.

Whether taken as an observant traveller or a documentarian open to an ethical awakening of awareness, Radivojevic certainly shows an eye for detail to capture the essence of the setting and environment that further deepen the overall portrayal of Cyprus. This in turn becomes a significant metaphorical representation to the abstract yet focused imagery of ‘evaporating borders’ implied in the film’s title and creates a fascinating and thought-provoking contrast with the factual examinations and investigations of the film itself.

Structurally collected and divided into parts, the film is easy to follow and never seems abstruse or trivial. Despite the heavy political theme Evaporating Borders deals with, it is a documentary that essentially remains accessible and engaging due to its gratifying human approach. But another thing this film does – apart from revealing Iva Radivojevic as a documentarian well worth following – is exemplify a trend of documentary filmmaking where, from Alex Gibney but more closely to Chloe Ruthven’s The Do Gooders, the filmmaker no longer disguises itself behind the deceitful idea of the camera’s neutrality.