Beyond
the Black Rainbow is a highly-stylized, over-saturated tale of a somewhat
dystopian and futuristic-looking place called Arboria. (The film is set in
1983"”the height of the Reagan Administration's lunacy.) In Arboria, inmates"”particularly
one that the story follows, Elena (Eva Allan), are heavily drugged and their
actions observed.
The plot is hard to follow but
easily understood, as scads of films and books before it have told a similar
story. This film is yet another example of man's fear of being controlled
completely (although existence of the internet would prove otherwise). While seriously
awesome to look at, the question "what the fuck is going on" was said aloud
several times even though I was the only one in my apartment. The lack of
dialogue aided my ability to be distracted by a car starting outside, and the
blatant Kubrick rip-offs just plain upset me. The performances, especially of
Michael Rogers as the creepy Dr. Nyle, were all that they needed to be in order
for this movie to have the feel it desired, but I didn't find myself giving two
shits about what was to happen to any of the characters in the long run.
I couldn't help but admire the
photography and cinematography of the film but felt I was looking at one long
painting that had come to life rather than a film with a narrative. I think
this movie does a good job at getting the viewer to pay attention, even if it
is because you're hoping something will actually happen. This movie is good for
a film class or a person interested in the art of photography but not for
anyone who wants to be entertained. That is the last thing this movie means to
do.
