Conversation: A Film by the Makers of "People in Order"

If you liked yesterday's People in Order post, you'll dig this 11-minute documentary by Lenka Clayton and James Price. Conversation is a fascinating look at how strangers judge each others' faces (each subject is shown film of other subjects, and comments on that person based on his or her face alone). Originally created as an installation displayed on two separate screens, this is a short film in which you watch people judge each other. Stick around past the first few silent moments, things just get more and more complicated as the subjects combine with each other and the editing comes into play. My favorite part starts around 3:40 as a series of people judge a stranger on the right, then finally we get to see his opinions of the others. From the film's description:

"She looks very passionate, would make a very good wife," says a stranger describing the face of another stranger. Conversation is a fascinating and frank look at the hidden judgments we habitually make about others based on their faces. In this cleverly composed and edited short doc, filmmakers Lenka Clayton and James Price explore the semiotics of body language. We observe candid interviews with 29 strangers from the streets of the East-End of London, England, as they read another stranger's face. It's a revealing study of how we readily project our fears and hopes onto people we don't know. What does a face really tell you about a person and what does it tell you about your own preconceptions and prejudices?

Conversation from Field Studies on Vimeo.