Salute

Salute challenges the structure of traditional documentary and seats the viewer in a position to observe and piece together information rather than passively be fed knowledge. The film is centered around the daily routine of a woman and horse working their way to the Grad Prix Regional Championships. The film mimics the routine, discipline and control that is required of a sport which is completely fixated on perfection. Throughout the film, there are moments where the modernity of the sport challenges the roots and tradition. Salute opens with a slideshow of paintings and photographs which situates it’s role in our history, entangled between both art and military. Themes of labor, class, and ethics are all present in a muted dialog. Salute intentionally uses a narrative pacing that requires a lot of endurance, however there's a moment where it shifts from slow to hypnotic which increases the tension and subtle anxieties.