13 Lakes (2004)

 

13 Lakes: Summary and initial thoughts

13 Lakes comes to us from filmmaker James Benning, whose other works include Ten Skies and The United States of America. This experimental film is exactly what it states: thirteen lakes, each shown with the skyline, each shown for ten minutes.

The film is absent of actors or story, narration or overt purpose, instead focusing on long shots of each lake. It is silent except for ambient and animal noises. It is an exercise in patience, to say the least.

The lakes featured in this film are all in the United States: 

• Wyoming's Jackson Lake
• Maine's Moosehead Lake
• California's Salton Sea
• Minnesota's Lake Superior
• Wisconsin's Lake Winnebago
• Florida's Lake Okeechobee
• Minnesota's Red Lake
• Louisiana's Lake Pontchartrain
• Utah's Great Salt Lake
• Alaska's Lake Iliamna
• Utah and Arizona's Lake Powell
• Oregon's Crater Lake
• New York's Oneida Lake

The ambience is stunning, as are the lakes themselves. I admit that I wasn't looking forward to this one before I watched it. Over two hours of just...lakes? 

Don't get me wrong, I love a good lake, but I was still apprehensive of just watching water be water for 130 minutes.

Because of this, I didn't watch the film as it was intended to be viewed: I spent two weeks watching one lake per night. While this was certainly easier, it misses the point.

This film is about contemplation, meditation, the appreciation of the barely perceptible, minute-to-minute differences that make up Mother Nature.

If you check this one out, I highly recommend that you set aside two hours one evening and watch the whole thing as intended: in one sitting.

Why is 13 Lakes on the National Film Registry?

13 Lakes was added to the National Film Registry in 2014, the first year it became eligible for induction. But what makes 13 Lakes significant?

Well, for starters, it is an important work of slow cinema, a movement that focuses on bare bones set-ups with minimal (or no) story. It uses the long takes that Benning is known for to create a pared-down atmosphere with a largo tempo.

13 Lakes is also significant for what Benning identifies as its anti-war theming. His stated purpose in making this film was to emphasize the beauty and power of the natural assets that are being destroyed by conflict.

This film is also seen as a landmark in Benning's oeuvre, his most important effort to stretch the limits of his audience's patience. The point of this film is not to entertain but to engage at a deep, introspective stratum.

Final thoughts on 13 Lakes

I really wish I had spent the two hours to view this film in one go. I appreciated 13 Lakes on a more superficial level by viewing it piecemeal, and I regret that I did not test my patience and reflective capacity in the way this film intended. Perhaps one day I'll watch it again, all the way through in one block.

For now, however, I'll recommend this film if you have a desire to look within yourself while looking out at some truly breathtaking natural scenery.