The Networks of Street Signs

One (recommended) look at filmmaker Dan Behshad’s works in various media, such as film, photography, and art videos, will show a clear affection for the unique, the absurd, and the different, and The Networks of Street Signs is no exception.

 

Written, shot, edited, sound-designed and directed by Behshad themselves, TNOSS begins with a montage of stock nature footage, accompanied by a deep voice declaring “Whose voice do you believe in, your own or your sidekick’s?” and from there, an impression starts to set in as to where this is all going to go, perhaps towards something grand and profound.

 

But then, it doesn’t. In fact, TNOSS doesn’t really go anywhere, but what is most strange is how compellingly it doesn’t go anywhere. It doesn’t have a linear structure like Behshad’s previous offering, A History Long Forgotten, really it doesn’t have any kind of structure at all. What we get here instead is a bit of a showcase of everything else Behshad can do as a filmmaker.

 

The film itself is more of a smorgasbord of visual styles and ideas, showing off everything from stop-motion to monochromatic dramatics, scenes running backwards, and of course, a montage of street signs. And after it's all topped off with a continuous and nonsensical narration, as well as some pop punk, country rock and smooth Americana vibes thrown in, TTNOS makes for one strange beast.

 

Where A History Long Forgotten was a bit clearer on what it was trying to do and perhaps say, there appears to be no clear narrative at play here. Behshad themselves say they were inspired after an incident where their home was offended by a labourer; if that essence of an idea is meant to be represented here, then it’s buried deep. But what this film still manages to do somehow, is indeed make you look for something deeper even if it ultimately might not show itself. Maybe it’s all a parody of the type of ridiculous televisual broadcast segments it’s supposed to be presented as? Maybe it’s saying something about the number of signs and visual stimuli we see each day? Or maybe it’s just a bit bonkers?

 

But on some level it works, because Behshad’s filmmaking style is really quite captivating, soothing even, and despite no threads to follow, is in no way boring. Whether intentional or not, it adds a certain element of cool to the mundanity of everyday sights and sounds, streets and their signs, and throughout Behshad is always mixing up the presentation to give us something fresh and different to look at, but in the end there’s really no guessing as to what it’s all supposed to mean...maybe that’s the point?

 

Undeniably different if nothing else, The Networks of Street Signs firmly showcases Behshad’s adeptness at many visual styles, even if you are none the wiser by the end.