Design

Director: Lav Diaz
Client: Origin8 Media
Poster dimensions: 27 x 39 in
Year: 2013

A gem of slow cinema, the four-hour epic revolves around the lives of three people, one of whom is thrown into prison for the crime of the other. Premiered at the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.

The challenge was to create a compelling poster for a director known for the difficulty of his films.  Images were selected for their internal drama as well as their painterly composition. The spacious and quiet feel of the poster echoes the languid pace and visuals of the film. The use of empty space highlights the characters' relation to their external world, which bears down on their minute existence. The color is monochromatic to signify a kind of heightened drama and portent, without giving away too much. A simple book-like type treatment was used to capture the literary feel of the film. Diaz’s name is highlighted to give more local prominence and weight to a director who is considered, in international circles, a master and an auteur. The still image in the final poster is intriguing and has a quiet terror to it―a young family standing still, wind blowing through their hair and clothes, staring down into a ravine. They are literally caught between light and dark.

Film info via IMDb