Dark, bizarre, fantastic: Curated by Mattias Fabian and Mattias Eckkrammer, this program section pays homage to European genre Film in all its facets.
In cinema, the realization that family can be hell is hardly a novel one: The trouble with relatives has a place deep down in its DNA. This may be not least because the divides between what is private and what is public, between the individual person and the community, are notoriously fluid. Moreover, the ol’ sweet home offers a splendid venue for the negotiation of social norms, structures, and power relations. In this, there is no genre better at punching the guts of patriarchal dynamics with such downright gusto, at sensuously eviscerating toxic relation dynamics, and at acting out conflicts among relatives with such creative liberty than Fantastic Film.
This year, Night Sight invites us to participate in family constellations, dissecting various patterns of dependencies with the aid of five highly diverse works: Using body horror and folklore, NIGHTBORN by Hanna Bergholm (HATCHING, CE22) visualizes the inner perspective of a mother, who, after giving birth, finds herself in a conflict with her own expectations as well as those of her environment. GAUA, meanwhile, has Paul Urkijo Alijo (IRATI, CE23) wrapping the world of Basque myths around a story of forbidden love, and, with the help of affectionately brought-to-life magical beings, sending vicious menfolk packing. Gábor Holtai’s FEELS LIKE HOME is, in the very best sense, reminiscent of an early Lanthimos film, and its repressive “family construct” mirrors real-life mechanisms of autocracy. Ushered in by ennui, complacency, and decadence, the downfall of an obscenely rich family dynasty is staged by Karim Aïnouz in ROSEBUSH PRUNING with grotesque humor and latent incestuous vibes. And the fact that even bloodsuckers are not safe from generational conflicts is depicted in SILENCIO, where Eduardo Casanova (LA PIETÀ, CE23) exhibits wit and style as he combines vampire mythology and the stigmatization of HIV-infected humans. At the end of all those compulsions, toxic relationships, and daddy/mommy issues, there stands a chance at a new beginning – or at least the realization that, after all, you had better choose your family yourself. (Matthias Eckkrammer & Mattias Fabian)
This year, Night Sight invites us to participate in family constellations, dissecting various patterns of dependencies with the aid of five highly diverse works: Using body horror and folklore, NIGHTBORN by Hanna Bergholm (HATCHING, CE22) visualizes the inner perspective of a mother, who, after giving birth, finds herself in a conflict with her own expectations as well as those of her environment. GAUA, meanwhile, has Paul Urkijo Alijo (IRATI, CE23) wrapping the world of Basque myths around a story of forbidden love, and, with the help of affectionately brought-to-life magical beings, sending vicious menfolk packing. Gábor Holtai’s FEELS LIKE HOME is, in the very best sense, reminiscent of an early Lanthimos film, and its repressive “family construct” mirrors real-life mechanisms of autocracy. Ushered in by ennui, complacency, and decadence, the downfall of an obscenely rich family dynasty is staged by Karim Aïnouz in ROSEBUSH PRUNING with grotesque humor and latent incestuous vibes. And the fact that even bloodsuckers are not safe from generational conflicts is depicted in SILENCIO, where Eduardo Casanova (LA PIETÀ, CE23) exhibits wit and style as he combines vampire mythology and the stigmatization of HIV-infected humans. At the end of all those compulsions, toxic relationships, and daddy/mommy issues, there stands a chance at a new beginning – or at least the realization that, after all, you had better choose your family yourself. (Matthias Eckkrammer & Mattias Fabian)
