Obsessive Becoming (1995)

This surreal, free-form autobiography is concerned with childhood and adult rituals, and the longing for meaning and connection during the often wildly absurd events of early life. Obsessive Becoming returns to Reeves’s early exploration of personal narrative forms, poetry, and his interest in creating a more spontaneous and direct fusion between language and video. Words and images of the expectations and disappointments of coming of age break down the boundaries of both mediums. Reeves draws from a wealth of images created since the 1940's in his family’s enthusiasm for capturing time, featuring Polaroids and 16mm film. The essence of the work is insight, compassion, and healing. It suggests that we abandon memories that have created emotional barriers, and deal with the past without letting it limit our passage through life. In Reeves’s words, you “stand long enough and put off all that guards your heart.”