An old, frayed photograph depicts the image of a young domestic servant living and working on a NSW property in 1912. Using fragments of memory and ritual, Restoration gradually reveals the events behind the photo. Drenched in colour, this visually sumptuous work reveals that willing submission can disguse a fierce determination to change. In the abscence of any dialogue, the film employs a variety of innovative stylisitic techniques to convey narrative, including an evocative use of non-diegetic sound. The unconventional use of dance to depict the relationship between the maid and the photographer provides a memorable focal point of the film.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 70,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued since the 1940s. As a result, some items and their descriptions may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
B1003614
Holdings
Digital Betacam [PAL]; Sub-master
VHS [PAL]; Reference - timecoded