I recently watched Benning's film Ruhr at Redcat. With this 121 minute HD video with only seven shots, the first six ranging in length from six to seventeen minutes and the last shot lasting for what seemed like an eternity, Benning records various views of Ruhr with encyclopaedic detail. The shots ranged from Muslims at prayer to the colors of the window shutters and houses on a typical working class street. It felt as if the whole room was being forced to pray or meditate about “cinema” all together. It required a crazy, ritualistic concentration to sit through the movie and enjoy it. Ruhr provided me with time to reflect on what I love about cinema, and think about the human act of creating meaning out of images. I recommend any of Benning's films to be given a patient chance.
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