Plots(1)
In Metamorphosis, filmmaker and media artist Pim Zwier chooses a highly original form to depict the life and work of the German artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), whose study of insects laid the foundations of entomology. Her most important work revolved around the metamorphosis of caterpillars into butterflies: she recorded the process in beautiful prints and engravings and was the first to draw the insects in combination with the plant on which they live. Zwier subtly sets 17th-century drawings and paintings in motion. He also uses actors (including Carly Wijs, Sieger Sloot and Pierre Bokma) to bring historical sources to life. His own observations play a central role: for Metamorphosis, originally a photography project, Zwier started breeding caterpillars himself to document their pupation in close-up. The film includes stunning footage of the process. This combination of nature documentary, costume drama and art project offers a fascinating insight into Merian’s adventurous life, as well as into one of nature’s most mysterious metamorphoses. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)
(more)Cast
Pierre Bokma
France
Best movies:
Prospero's Books (1991)
Dalziel and Pascoe (1996) (series)
Interview (2003)
Sieger Sloot
Netherlands
Best movies:
John Adams (2008) (series)
Riphagen: The Untouchable (2016)
Love Is All (2007)
Carly Wijs
Netherlands
Best movies:
Love Is All (2007)
Brush with Fate (2003) (TV movie)
Off Screen (2005)