Inside (subconsciousness) Those who fall in sleep die in reality.
George Greaves wakes up on his fortieth birthday in fear. He had a nightmare. But the awakening did not bring the necessary relief, he is still in a state of anxiety. But the wise wife rightly notes that anxiety is caused by a quick visit to the doctor and surgery, and sleep is only a projection of his experiences. And George, as a reasonable man, must agree. Yes, George is a reasonable, reasonable, sober man. It is also politeness and tactfulness. A caring father and husband. A liberal with politically correct and humanistic convictions. Moderately rich, moderately intelligent, moderately self-confident. The perfect middle class. Immaculate. And how sad that, waking up after anesthesia and finding that he had an unnecessary operation, George’s life turns into a real hell, a real nightmare!
As in the subsequent black comedy Otis, Tony Krantz already in his debut creation cynically and subtly depicts the animal principle of man. Modern man is not far from the primitive. Yes, civilized man invented the video camera and the scalpel, religion and the Internet, but so what? Being is defined by consciousness, but how much has it evolved? A tendency to superstition, a lot of prejudices, some instinctive, sometimes irrational phobias and fears, which for the time being we successfully block and ignore. But what if, under the influence of circumstances and chance, we lose control of all this? Will all these fears come to light?
This is what happens to the main character. The world is slowly but inexorably slipping into the abyss of madness. The madness that Krantz portrays as ruthless and merciless as possible. It is orderly chaos, and it is impossible to comprehend it, to live with it. All of George's desperate attempts are in vain. All underlying fears break free, symbolizing and revealing in full glory the limitations of George’s worldview. He still clings to reason, but it is increasingly failing him. And how do you know if all these nightmares are hallucinations, the play of his fading consciousness or a terrible reality?
Apotheosis is the debut work of Tony Krantz. And it should be noted that the debut was excellent. The director examines the man with surgical accuracy, precision and grace. Not like Herzog or Bergman, of course, but it's no less impressive. Perfectly selected soundtrack and skillful, partly schizophrenic editing properly heat up the situation, increase tension. There is not a single useless, casually dropped phrase or thought. Each surreal detail is significant, has its own background and carries a certain message. And at the right moment comes the promised apotheosis.
In the movie Punk from Salt Lake City, the main character stated that pain is the ability to feel truly alive. Perhaps you can add that fear is an opportunity to test, to make sure that you live, and not exist.
8 out of 10