No. 005 - 'The Hours: A Square Film' by Antoinetta Angelidi (1995)

Watched by Matthew Donlan at Golden Age

Antoinetta Angelidi weaves between the ephemeral and the everlasting in this autobiographical film, The Hours: A Square Film.

Spendo, a stand-in for Angelidi, is on the brink of taking her life. In this moment of vulnerability, memories of her childhood, of traumatic experiences and flickers of joy, come flooding back. Forgotten thoughts are remade and explored anew, repeating until an escape is found. One of renewal and hope.

Dream-like is the closest adjective to describe The Hours and yet it undersells the experience you have when watching this film. It is lucid, hypnotic filmmaking where sound, light, objects and phrases act as bridges between memories. It is cyclical, repeating itself with slight variations, as we observe Spendo locked away as a child and degraded as an adult. She is consistently told to be quiet and to stop drawing on the basis she is telling lies. But in reality, it is her artistic expression that is being crushed and her innocence stolen.

Using the avant-garde style to full effect, Angelidi draws on her own experiences to create an intensely captivating experience. With minimal dialogue and a sparse narrative, sounds and images are given greater importance. It smoothly charts how these basic faculties are entrenched in memory. The way sunlight catches a glass in the bathroom transports her back to her childhood, locked in a bathroom as punishment. The sound of rain leads to a downpour within her bedroom as she lays to sleep. The music students rehearse distorts and haunts as she recollects how her violin teacher groomed her.

These characteristics make the film more participatory, inviting the viewer to bring their own interpretations to the mood and atmosphere that is depicted on screen. The film is a testament to self-preservation through immense violence. Facing a world where silence is used as a weapon against her, Spendo fights to find new avenues of creativity as a means of finding her voice.

Golden Age is screening all Antoinetta Angelidi films in their series ‘Dream Logic’ as part of Vivid Sydney. The next film, ‘Topos’ screens tonight (Thursday).

Editor’s Recommendation

The latest horror feature from the Philippou brothers, Bring Her Back, is in cinemas now. Follow their energetic advice on the Project and go support Australian films at the cinema!

Screenings: Thursday 29 May - Wednesday 04 June
Cinema Astragale
Les Abysses (1963, Nikos Papatakis)
Thursday

Hayden Orpheum | selected highlights
Brazil (1985, Terry Gilliam)
40th anniversary screening
Saturday

Grave of the Fireflies (1988, Isao Takahata)
One-off screening
Sunday

Golden Age Cinema | selected highlights
Topos (1985, Antoinetta Angelidi)
Thursday

Universal Language (2024, Matthew Rankin)
Friday

Idees Fixe/Dies Irae (1977, Antoinetta Angelidi)
Sunday

Ritz Cinemas, Randwick | selected highlights
Bring Her Back (2025, the Philippou Brothers)
Daily

Dale Frank Nobody’s Sweetie (2025, Jenny Hicks)
Q+A w/ Director
Monday

Robert Altman Retrospective (link)
Brewster McCloud (1970, Robert Altman)
Thursday

Cult Classics (link)
Dazed and Confused (1993, Richard Linklater)
Saturday & Monday

Celluloid Film (link)
Showgirls (1995, Paul Verhoeven)
Friday

Classic Matinees (link)
The Night of the Hunter (1955, Charles Laughton)
Saturday & Monday

Make It Musical (link)
A Star Is Born (2018, Bradley Cooper)
Sunday & Wednesday

Meet Cute (link)
What’s Up, Doc? (1972, Peter Bogdanovich)
Tuesday

Dendy Newtown | selected highlights
Bring Her Back (2025, the Philippou Brothers)
Daily

Celluloid Dreams (link)
District 9 (2009, Neill Blomkamp)
Tuesday

Night Shift (link)
Crash (1996, David Cronenberg)
Daily

Palace Cinemas | selected highlights
Bring Her Back (2025, the Philippou Brothers)
Daily

Cult Vault (link)
Dressed to Kill (1980, Brian De Palma)
Monday

Matinee Memories (link)
A Night At The Opera (1935, Sam Wood)
Saturday & Sunday

Art Gallery of NSW
Babe: Pig In The City (1998, George Miller)
w/ Introduction by George Miller
Sunday

Sydney Film Festival | selected highlights
Together (2025, Michael Shanks)
Opening Night Event
Wednesday