Raúl Ruiz turns a country into a haunted house you can't escape.
Tunisia itself is the subject; we wanted to render the genius of the site. Tunisia is almost the central character of this little film: we see the relation of the city to the sea, the traces that bear witness to its foundation, the remains of Carthage, the symbolism of the recently discovered Medina coin … The splendours of the house interiors and courtyards are associated with a scene of origin, what psychoanalysis calls a primal scene. Entering these houses opens up a world peopled by women: the child’s ‘homecoming’ in the hands of women is staged as an abduction, playing doubly on fascination and terror. These places were mine, from my childhood, they can be found almost intact – it’s the return of the exile visiting the kingdom. I let Ruiz discover all this, and immediately that led him to echoes and resonances ranging from Spain to Chile.
Direction
Ruiz treats Tunisia like a living organism with secrets.
Cinematography
Every courtyard shot breathes with unconscious memory.
Director
Raúl Ruiz
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Ruiz shot this after fleeing Pinochet's Chile, making Tunisia a mirror for his own exile—geography as emotional autobiography.
The 'trance' of the title refers to Ruiz's 'shamanic' filming method: entering spaces without plan, letting architecture dictate rhythm.
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