this film is deliciously ambiguous as a horror flick- full of speculations about the causes of the condition of the "zombie" in the story. each one twists the narrative further around on itself and refuses to provide an answer, only offering a possibility. the deftness of camera work during the first "walk with the zombie" is impossible to ignore, with perfectly (and dynamically) paced tracking shots. [my favorite: the few seconds where, after mostly following the actors, retracing their steps and trailing them around corners in the cane field, the camera jumps in front of them, reversing the shot so that we see the actors {paused momentarily to observe the creepy surroundings, the nurse's physical hesitation denoting doubt about the mission she's embarked on with her patient} squared in the center of the screen. when they start to move, the camera does as well, which highlights the fact that at this point, continuing is less about forcing ahead and more about being pulled in, regardless of inhibitions.] the love stories are left (appropriately) in the realm of rash decisions, and though the ending allows couples to "be together", it is certainly not an all-tied-up conclusion. the thoughtful ruminations on cultural differences don't end up favoring Western traditions over "other" ones: though the doctors scoff at the practices of villagers and mention "talking a little voodoo to get medicine down their throats", one of them is also convinced that she participated in a successful voodoo ritual; and the discussions of how the people got to this island usually expose the Westerner as a bit daft and uncompassionate, i.e. when the driver relates (with a troubled expression that only the camera can see) that everyone's long-ago mothers and long-ago fathers were carried here by the Hollands against their will ["chained to the bottom of the boat"], the nurse responds with an ignorant smile, "they brought you to a beautiful place didn't they". I could go on about interactions like this, but you should see the movie. it's short enough to watch without ever checking your watch (or the progress bar on the video player)!
1 comment:
Oooh we watched this in the SciFi/Horror class I took with Wheeler, what a great fuckin' time that was!
(I am highly nostalgic for school lots but often lazy regarding my own scholarly growth.)
I also kind of loved Fantastic Planet, just for its earnestness and creepy animation.
I also wish I had a dvd player that worked damnnnn
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