Q. Have you ever seen a feature length film that relied mostly on visual imagery and not dialogue to tell a complex story?

A. Although there are many to choose from, the film, Ratcatcher, by Lynne Ramsay, is a good place to start. While there is some minimal dialogue in this film, the narrative in primarily advanced through visual story telling. The story is set in Scotland during an historic garbage strike in the early 1970’s, creating an unusual backdrop of irresolution, neglect, and urban decay. In a poor neighborhood, as part of what appears to be normal roughhousing, the film’s protagonist, James, accidentally drowns another boy in a shallow canal outside their apartment building. James must find a way to incorporate this shattering event, and his own culpability for it, into his fragile sense of self. This is his story of grief and redemption. It is rich with images of water in all of its dual capacities to destroy and restore. This is an extremely complex and beautiful film and Ramsey’s elegiac imagery stays indelibly in one’s visual memory.

There are many others to check out, including The Match Factory Girl by Aki Kaurismaki and of course, the classic, The Red Balloon by Albert Lamrois.