Screenplay by Gabriel Serrano Dennis
The tactile and visceral nature of the infamous video-shot films that emerged in the 1980s sparked a cultural revolution in representations of horror and gore. Many of these films relied on the creativity and friendships of the filmmakers involved in an attempt to capture the dark magic of low-budget gore films, e.g. Sam Raimiof evil dead (1981), George A. Romeroof Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Lloyd Kaufmanof Toxic Avenger (1984). With cameras in hand and an unwavering commitment to making films with whatever budget was available, their work acquires a mystical quality, as if something that shouldn’t be filmed has been miraculously captured. Dylan Mars Greenbergof soul riser Featuring the same tactile dark magic and sinister texture as SOV horror films from the 80s and 90s, while also applying an experimental art aesthetic Guy Martinfantastic logic david groveand shocking violations three and Nick Zed.
soul enhancer This is a film that’s hard to sum up, making it one of the essential films of 2024 that “has to be seen to be believed.” Michael Madsen (Reservoir dogs, Vampire Rayne), the story begins with two sisters (Summer Greenberg and Amanda Flowers) who, attempted to be killed by an entity known only as “The One from a Dark and Lonely Place” (Whitney Moore), thrown onto opposite coasts of the United States, must find each other before being utterly destroyed. Along the way, the sisters encounter allies and enemies, while each tries to understand the nature of their powers and what their ultimate role in the battle between good and evil may be. Sydney (played by Greenberg) is rescued from the streets of New York by musician Alan (a musician). Ellen Merrill) After fighting two leaping demons, Ingrid (Flowers) is left alone, suffering from amnesia, and adopted by a grieving mother (the lead singer of “The Runaways”) Cherie Currie) helps her find her true self again.
Playing style is similar to Lynch twin peaksthe characters speak and interact in a dry, deadpan manner that suits Stranger Things well. The quality of the performances varies, but that’s not the point. The film relies on mood and atmosphere with its ideas and themes almost as if they were in free verse trash poetry. The visuals are similar, with Greenberg employing a loose, free-form camera style and editing in an oval and often jagged manner that emphasizes the film’s fantastical nature. Space and time are irrelevant, which again fits perfectly with the displaced characters and their chaotic state of existence. The film shifts genres in schizophrenic editing, jumping from stock footage chase scenes to scenes of ninjas battling demons, and back to Sydney’s surreal acid trip as she floats through space and time on a giant talking hand. If this all sounds like a bunch of meaningless ideas, you’re both right and wrong. The chaos is the message, and although it doesn’t follow simple logic, if you allow yourself to surrender to the chaos, the story and its larger themes make sense in the world.
Greenberg approached her stories and influences in much the same way that Guy Martin explored and reinterpreted the language of Soviet and Expressionist films of the 1920s and 1930s. soul enhancer Blending SOV style and ethos, horror and fantasy language, DIY aesthetics, 90s CGI, music videos and confrontational queer cinema. SOV Cinema and its early 8mm and 16mm predecessors basked in the freedom of expression afforded by the new technology. Like this, soul enhancer Revel in the anti-corporate, conservative-challenging films of Nick Zedd, Lloyd Kaufman (who plays “The Insider” in the film), and even Kenneth Anger and Jack Smitha pioneer of queer and DIY cinema. When you have the final showdown with the possessed Statue of Liberty, it’s clear which way the movie’s middle finger is pointing.
The special Blu-ray release from Art Label is soul riser and fans of Greenberg’s work. It contains not only interviews with Greenberg and Flowers, a feature-length commentary, and a documentary about Greenberg herself, but also her first film Charming Starting from 2014. triangular doornarrated by Guy Martin. similar spiritual uplifter, It’s an experimental exercise in form that reveals new meaning the more you look at it. The film itself looks sharp and detailed, with the Blu-ray giving it a crisp and saturated quality that pushes SOV textures to the foreground. soul enhancer Its Blu-ray packaging is a portal to another world where queer, trans and gender non-conforming artists possess the inherent magic of film and participate in the communal rituals of filmmaking. This is the entry point into new ways of making films and finding new sources to create images and stories.
