The Locarno Film Festival isn’t one I generally keep a close watch on, but even so it was hard not to hear the buzz for Ann Oren’s feminist equine fantasy, Piaffe. And now we’ll be able to see this unusual film for ourselves when it starts hitting theaters here this month.
Based on Oren’s 2020 short film, Piaffe stars Simone Bucio as an introverted woman who grows a tail after filling in for her sister as Foley artist for a commercial featuring a horse.
Told you this one was unusual. The trailer sorta reminds me of the Dianne Arbus film, Fur, in mood, style, and subject matter.
Here’s the synopsis: Introverted and unqualified, Eva is unexpectedly tasked with foleying the sound for a commercial featuring a horse. As she slowly acclimates to the new job, her obsession with creating the perfect equine sounds grows into something more tangible. Eva harnesses this new physicality, becoming more confident and empowered, and lures an unassuming botanist into an intriguing game of submission.
Also starring Simon(e), Jaikiriuma Paetau, and Sebastian Rudolph, Piaffe opens in New York on August 25th at The Quad Cinema, before hitting Landmark’s Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles on September 15th.