The dream of the mind gives birth to the flesh of emptiness We live in such an amazing time of abundance, when everything is in abundance. What in our time only not removed, not written, not composed. A few years ago I came across a strange movie called "The Flesh of Emptiness." For several years he waited for his turn, dusting in the folder “I will look”, until he finally appeared before the eyes of the viewer, i.e. me.
The first thing that catches the eye is the clear influence of “Born” in terms of visual stylistics. And this square 4:3 frame, and the strong graininess, and the contrasting black and white picture, it's clearly from there. The second thing that could have had an impact is the short film The Pig by Rozz Williams and Nico B. The connection between the two can be traced in the strange costumes of the characters (such as bandages or face masks), as well as in the pseudo-occult context of what is happening. I could also mention Eugene Yufit’s necrorealistic short films, whose visual style is partially copied in some fragments of The Flesh of the Emptiness. This may be a simple coincidence.
The film is divided into several parts under pretentious titles: Act 1 (War). Act 2 (Blood); Interlude (Agony); Act 3 (Ecstasy); Epilogue (Emptiness). There is no coherent story. This is more a collection of avant-garde shorts than a full-length film. Moreover, all the fragments are very different, both in visual style: the picture in some scenes is very contrasting and grainy, and in some even color, or black and white, but without unnecessary distortions; and in semantic component (although what is the point here...). If the first third of the film is almost entirely composed of dull landscapes in the spirit of “Begotten” or views of the city and abandoned buildings, the second and third already have some plot episodes.
However, with the plots of the authors everything is monotonous. Typically, they are reduced to displaying masturbations, copulation, acts of blasphemy, killing or displaying mummified animals. Regarding the demonstration of a fake male reproductive organ, the authors, apparently, have a special point, because you will often have to witness this in the frame when viewing.
Unfortunately, the "Flesh of the Void" turned out to be completely "empty". I am not a prude, I like some avant-garde and author films, such as Mariana Dore’s Melancholy of Angels. But at least there is a holistic plot, interesting characters and some philosophy. What do we see in “The Flesh of Emptiness”? That's right, nothing. The film is a "dumb" . All the attempts of the authors to show their creation with something extravagant and provocative can impress only a teenager of informal views. Behind the fake costumes hide amateur actors with tasteless tattoos all over the body, and the flaws of the scenery and locations are hidden by tons of effects. This film would be well suited as a video sequence for clips in the genre of black metal or drone ambient, but as a feature film it is impossible to perceive. Some people have too much free time with no artistic taste. So it turns out such a mortal boredom as "the flesh of emptiness." A good way to spend 76 minutes of your life in the void.