Cohen's films are haunting, hypnotic and utterly unique. He often
works with musicians - REM, Fugazi, Godspeed You Black Emperor - and
there's something musical about the flow of imagery in his
breath-taking feature (Benjamin Smoke) and shorts, which mix
documentary with experimental narrative techniques. His influences
include punk rock, Outsider Art and philosopher Walter Benjamin;
there's also something of Marker or Herzog in the way he seeks out stray
fragments of life on the streets and at the margins - things most of us
glimpse every day, but seldom notice. This is genuine, cutting-edge
American independent film - a vision of the world which has never been
seen before.
