Hailing from a circus and theater background, the magnificent trio of Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy made the fantastic leap to film during the 1990s, as directors as well as performers. Deliberately light on dialogue, their collaborations conjure up a surreal and burlesque universe filled with colorful sight gags, acrobatic slapstick, and even magic. While the juxtaposition of ingenious set designs—often filmed in static shots—and the anarchic force of human chaos recalls French comedy giants like Jacques Tati and Pierre Étaix, their signature touch is also instantly recognizable for its kinship to choreography.
Centering on misfits who yearn for more than what their everyday realities can offer, the three films in our focus search for catharsis in the form of dance and spontaneous gestures. Following a comical mishap where she gets locked up inside a freezer, Gordon’s fast-food worker in The Iceberg (2005) sets sail for new horizons, an idiosyncratic quest that involves a love triangle and a jazzy party by the seaside. The Fairy (2011) even dreams up a magical dance sequence between Abel’s lonely hotel manager and Gordon’s elusive nymph, a flight of fancy that momentarily liberates the former from his dreary job. Following a near-cartoonish yet infinitely loveable dancer couple, the candy-colored Rumba (2008) is the trio’s most explicit and moving take on the pleasures of movement, and the bittersweet tragedy of when it is taken away. Grooving to their own inimitable rhythms—one that effortlessly alternates between the real and the absurd—the films of Abel, Gordon and Romy beckon us to let loose and break free.

Hailing from a circus and theater background, the magnificent trio of Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy made the fantastic leap to film during the 1990s, as directors as well as performers. Deliberately light on dialogue, their collaborations conjure up a surreal and burlesque universe filled with colorful sight gags, acrobatic slapstick, and even magic. While the juxtaposition of ingenious set designs&#8212;often filmed in static shots&#8212;and the anarchic force of human chaos recalls French comedy giants like Jacques Tati and Pierre Étaix, their signature touch is also instantly recognizable for its kinship to choreography.
Centering on misfits who yearn for more than what their everyday realities can offer, the three films in our focus search for catharsis in the form of dance and spontaneous gestures. Following a comical mishap where she gets locked up inside a freezer, Gordon&#8217;s fast-food worker in The Iceberg (2005) sets sail for new horizons, an idiosyncratic quest that involves a love triangle and a jazzy party by the seaside. The Fairy (2011) even dreams up a magical dance sequence between Abel&#8217;s lonely hotel manager and Gordon&#8217;s elusive nymph, a flight of fancy that momentarily liberates the former from his dreary job. Following a near-cartoonish yet infinitely loveable dancer couple, the candy-colored Rumba (2008) is the trio&#8217;s most explicit and moving take on the pleasures of movement, and the bittersweet tragedy of when it is taken away. Grooving to their own inimitable rhythms&#8212;one that effortlessly alternates between the real and the absurd&#8212;the films of Abel, Gordon and Romy beckon us to let loose and break free.

Slapstick Magic: Three by Abel, Gordon and Romy

SLAPSTICK MAGIC: THREE BY ABEL, GORDON AND ROMY

Keeping the anarchic spirit of Jacques Tati alive, the splendid trio of Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, and Bruno Romy enchant with their burlesque universe of witty sight gags, slapstick humor, and even magic. Grooving to their own rhythms, these eccentric gems take a marvelous leap into the unknown.

Keeping the anarchic spirit of Jacques Tati alive, the splendid trio of Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, and Bruno Romy enchant with their burlesque universe of witty sight gags, slapstick humor, and even magic. Grooving to their own rhythms, these eccentric gems take a marvelous leap into the unknown.