saintpatrickbateman Reviews

Hausen (2020)

A gentle, misterious and neglected community drags you into their repetitive aisles of a constricting Plattenbau

[9/10 · 30 October 2020]

Don't be fooled by the jump-cut fast paced trailer. This horror series is not a dull shocker like the first impression suggests. The series combines well-known elements of horror and mistery and pairs them with a unique aesthetic of the Plattenbau, that looks like it fell out of time. Some inspirations from Stranger Things, The Shining or even from some elements of Fargo are clearly visible in the pictures and in the storytelling. Eventhough it's rough and dirty, at the same time it looks minimalistic, graphical, peculiar and difficult to catch hold of where this will lead you. There are barely any explanations, but I never felt like I needed any. The black mass coming from the walls paired with a Jóhann Jóhannsson like organ soundscape and a great sound design, lead you through the uncertainty and the prison-like skyskraper.

So this series is perfect for those who are interested in slow-paced mistery and horror, with a peculiar, sometimes depressing feeling, being dragged into the mess of this way of living. But at the end of the tunnel, there will be some light. It's not for you, if you either expect fast-paced action or horror full of violence.

River of Fundament (2014)

An epic opera of filth, beauty, death, life and rebirth

[10/10 · 20 May 2018]

There's no voice of a narrator telling you, what's going on. Weird scenes with groups of people organizing themselves in a way, that doesn't give any explanation, only hints of remembrance, but there is no self-explanatory sense in how everyone acts. Mesmerizing tribal music, orchestral sounds and opera singers lead the way. Images that don't make sense are repeated and suddenly there is sense.

If you can enjoy this film depends highly on your expectations. It isn't supposed to be a classic hollywood blockbuster, nor an edgy independet film. It is a gentle opera of images and sound. Matthew Barney referenced Kubrick in his films before, but this time he is taking it on another level. It is not a tough piece of experimental film, that wants to challenge the viewer. It is an experimental film, that's breaking down to the core of film - suspense, drama and beauty. The mythological happenings surrounding Norman Mailer are telling a deeply emotional and symbolically charged story of life, death and rebirth in it's rawest but strangest way.

If you want to know more about the story of the film, you could read the synopsis. But where would be the fun then, in discovering Matthew Barneys' powerful world by yourself?

Unfortunatly you won't be able to find this film on a dvd or online, but let's hope that this will change in the future.