Driven by his fascination of black-and-white silent films from the early 20th century, Spanish filmmaker José Luis Guerin envisioned a mystical documentary of romantic fantasies that have nearly disappeared in the 21st century. As the title suggests, Some Photos in the City of Sylvia is a black- and-white silent film with the story of the narrator (perhaps the director) superimposed via captions on still photos from a city. The narrator returns to Strasbourg in search of Sylvia whom he met at a café twenty-two years ago. With his artistic, discerning eye, he finds beauty in the city and people’s faces. Formally similar to Chris Marker’s La Jetée (1962) and psychologically evocative of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958), this film seems like an urban symphony of the previous century or an essay film of the present century. A record of dazzling faces and original props that brings the fictional impulse to life through pure senses. (KANG Sowon)