Engrossing and quietly magnificent, Pine Flat provides a contemplative portrait of growing up in America. Her signature style of long takes and static compositions creates both compelling moments of solitude and social interaction. Consisting of 12 fixed-camera shots, each just shy of 10 minutes and accompanied by synchronous ambient sound, Lockhart’s film also explores a sense of place through the progeny of the region.
Lockhart spent three years shooting teenagers who live in the small rural community of Pine Flat in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. She decided against using a professional crew and operated the camera herself. Her immersion in her subjects’ life and culture is apparent in the intimacy she has achieved. At turns tender, playful, and soulful, Pine Flat reveals the unpredictability of the human experience. The dynamics of roles, personalities, and power effect change just as much as the change in seasons. Merging portraiture with the landscape film, Lockhart’s film might best be described as the love child of Andy Warhol and James Benning.
