“Fiery liquid spun into an orb, tenuously attached to a smoldering metal pipe, cues a set of hands waiting to shape it with wet newspaper, which cues a rhythm of puffs, which cues another set of hands - eager to catch a sculpture that's at least 2000°F.” The art of glassblowing involves a series of meticulously executed “dances” in conditions that are both deadly and mesmerizing. In Before It Breaks, writer and director Swetha Regunathan captures the tender intensities that structure time in a high-stakes glassblowing workshop, preserving rhythms of unspoken trust between an artist and her assistant. Shot on 16mm film, this experimental documentary follows renowned Japanese glass artist Nao Yamamoto and her assistant Emily Brasch as they prepare for an exhibition. While the proximity to danger and the inevitability of breakage make for a thrilling watch, Regunathan compels us to focus on how the artists negotiate pain and forge a connection with each other - a friendship that is central to their craft. Regunathan first met Yamamoto at a branded shoot that the former directed. She was fascinated by Yamamoto's "mesmerizing" process and wanted to document it. Nao Yamamoto is perhaps most familiar to global audiences as a former contestant on Netflix's reality glassblowing competition Blown Away...
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Japanese glass artist Nao Yamamoto
