They don't make commercial videos or films, they combine two narrative tools that make a story: the spoken word and film. This combination even earned word artist Brahma T. Ramsodit and director Michiel Kole an LA Video Music Award in 2022 for their (brilliant) short film “Wakker.” When they received this award in America, the people of Twente immediately seized the opportunity to shoot a new film “Hollywood style”. “The Tour Alone,” a poetic Western, will premiere on Wednesday evening, May 8, at De Kleine Willem in Enschede, with a corresponding theatrical program preceding it.
The film concludes the theatrical program on May 8. They both have the same theme: loneliness. He was an inspiration to Brahma. “I think there is a lot of beauty in sadness. But sometimes you have to look for it carefully, or be open to it.” The spoken word artist wants to show through his stage show how you can still find happiness despite setbacks.
A real western
The idea for the film originated on a balcony in Delden. The duo discussed their upcoming trip to the US, where they were to receive an LA Video Music Award for their short film “Wakker”. On that balcony, Brahma played a spoken script for Michel. “I immediately imagined a Western theme. The West represents the harshness of life, and the landscape greatly enhances this feeling. Within four weeks they wrote the script and a crew from Los Angeles were contacted. They flew to the United States at the end of September. There they shot the short film in a day and a half in Mojave Desert north of Los Angeles.
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According to the makers, the fact that the filming took place in the United States took their film to a higher level. “Americans really live for filmmaking, and they always want to strive for the best. If we had stayed in the Netherlands, we would not have achieved this quality,” says the video maker. “At first I had no interest in making fantasy films, and I was always a video maker in one of Companies. But making a film yourself with a small team is actually a very good thing. We do that outside of work, and when you're in LA, you push yourself to go to the extreme.
Loneliness
The theme of loneliness is the focus of the film. What do manufacturers gain from this? “Loneliness is a big, universal topic. It's a very human thing to feel lonely. You may wonder if this loneliness is there for a reason and if it can bring you more. For example, the symbol we use in the movie is the cross. When paths cross, “You never know when you will have to say goodbye again,” says Brahma. “And you also meet others on their journey alone.”
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Director Michel Colley finds it especially important to give the viewer something they can use. “You want to evoke a feeling, make the viewer think about life. For me, the film is about the adventure of life and the unpredictability. I think the beautiful moment in the film is when Brahma comes out of the trailer. This actually symbolizes breaking the safe bubble, the comfort zone “If you dare to do that, life becomes more interesting.”
Theater programme
The short film and play are titled “The Tour Alone.” As with this film, May 8 cannot be classified into a specific genre. “It's not stand-up comedy, it's not cabaret. It's hanging somewhere in between,” Brahma says. During the show, the theater maker takes you on his journey through the unit. Before the film shows, you'll be shown the bright spots that were lit along the way, but then went out Also, “The show is about a woman who broke my heart, and it's about how to deal with grief. About the people you meet along the way and what they offer you. “There is spoken word, there is stand-up comedy, and I also sing songs.”
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A spoken word artist doesn't just make films, theater and spoken word. In addition to the short film, he also shot a video in Los Angeles for his debut single “Men Cuilen Niet”. “The song says something about thinking you should be so proud. And then you discover that maybe you should have done it differently. That you should have shown those feelings sooner.”
All this and more can be seen on Thursday 8 May at De Kleine Willem in Enschede. For more information about the show, please visit wordartist.com.
