The Speed of Turquoise (1995)

Plot Summary

Klahr describes it as “a psychedelic melodrama” offering “my most linear story line yet.” It’s constructed from cutouts of characters and spaces he photographed himself; the actors move in a jumpy manner to the accompaniment of their own dialogue. The main character, a young man named Rex, searches for “this place…that he always knew was his future,” in the words of a woman who becomes his girlfriend. Inspired by “a 12th-century Jewish mystic…who became enlightened by meditating on Hebrew letters,” Rex figures he can “update this approach” by meditating on TV through “nonstop channel flipping.” Out of money and facing eviction, he moves in with the woman, who supports his quest. They take a new hallucinogen together, and Rex becomes an apparent zombie, living in “the place” but incapable of communication or action.

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