During the winter of 1994, actor Ron Vawter was in Brussels to work on a theatre production about Philoctetes, a mythical Greek warrior. The story goes that Philoctetes was abandoned by Odysseus on the desert island of Lemnos after being bitten by a snake on the road to Troy. He was betrayed by his friend Odysseus on the pretext that his wound, which was incurable, would cause an unbearable smell that would bother the other soldiers.

When Ron learned that he had AIDS, this story of isolation and anguish took on a poignant importance for him. He arranged to collaborate with Jan Ritsema, a Dutch director, on a theatre production inspired by the myth. A group of artists came together to develop The Variations of Philoctetes under the auspices of the Kaai Theater in Belgium. Ron died just as the play was being performed. The Last Time I Saw Ron is a film of the show. The recording provides a moving meditation on the power of art to give “life force” and on one man’s extraordinary belief in that power.

• Programm Programme: Flowering Substances. A Film Programme Like a Brew of Petals, Tears, and Rituals