THE QUINCE TREE SUN

THE QUINCE TREE SUN (Directed by Victoria Brice. Starring Antonio Lopez, Maria Moreno, Enrique Gran)

Not most people's idea of compelling cinema, The Quince Tree Sun is minutely observed documentary following the attempts of artist Antonio Lopez to paint a quince tree in his garden.

The first 20 minutes should separate the film's admirers and detractors, as, without the distraction of music or dialogue, Lopez is seen carefully setting up his easel and preparing his tools. If you are still restless by then The Quince Tree Sun will probably seem about as interesting as watching paint dry (and you do actually get to see many shots of paint drying).

But, if you can shift gears and slow down to the film's langorous, but concentrated pace, you could actually appreciate a zen cinematic experience, a triumph of minimalism where less does really seem to be more. Nothing much happens, yet The Quince Tree Sun is funny, uplifting and, in some strange way, truly majestic.

Director Victoria Brice has attempted to find his way into the art of painting through the art of film. Unlike the other recent art study, La Belle Noiseuse there is not even the tension between artist and model to fuel drama, or the understated eroticism of nudity to maintain waning interest. Months pass as Lopez obsessively and lovingly attempts to perfectly capture the tree. Friends come and go, the painter's wife drifts in and out, a group of resolutely unimpressed Polish labourers contemplate the painter's efforts like a philistine chorus while the camera carefully observes the utterly painstaking process of creation.

And much like painting itself, it is in minute details that the film is most rewarding. Through almost emulating the painting process, Brice gets you on Lopez' wavelength. The result is a film of quite stunning lyricism . . . but not for the faint of heart - or short of attention span.