Achilles and the Tortoise

Kitano Takeshi's newest film takes its title from a famous paradox by the pre-Socratic philosopher Zeno, which claimed that motion, time and change are nothing but illusions. Achilles and the Tortoise tackles the idea that art is a chimera, and follows the absurd, star-crossed life of Machisu, an artist with no talent. (...) Sophisticated and original, the film features a rich procession of paintings by Kitano himself. Though designed to represent the failure of an amateur artist, these works are actually quite fascinating. Furnishing an elegant subtext to the film's smooth narrative texture, the pictures write Machisu's emotional history, filling in his many silences. (Viennale)