In Praise of Slowness

Set in modern-day Tangier, In Praise of Slowness follows the laborious journey of a man collecting empty bottles, which he later sells to bleach vendors that roam the labyrinthic streets of the old city. In the face of the global economic and technological forces reshaping the city of Tangier, the profession of the bleach vendors seems to be on the verge of disappearing, yet this film portrait of their supply chain – and notably their insistent chanting – conveys acoustic and visual images of endurance. In Praise of Slowness speaks to the accelerated urbanization and industrialization of Tangier, but also attests to how locally situated choreographies of slowness articulate modes of resistance to the speed of capitalism.