Litan (1982)

Litan (1982)
aka: Litan La Cité des Spectres Verts
Director: Jean-Pierre Mocky
Writer: Patrick Granier, Jean-Pierre Mocky
Cast: Marie-José Nat, Jean-Pierre Mocky, Nino Ferrer
The inhabitants of a remote mountain town are being transformed into zombies.

Wow don't even know where to start with this surreal opus, if ever a film deserved the moniker 'WTF film' then Litan is it. The story follows a couple trying to uncover what happened to a scout during a creepy small French town festival of Litan day. Turns out he's returned from death, the reason is something to do with a strange substance in the towns local water supply. Towards the end as more and more of the towns folk are dying the couple find out they're just premonitions of the dead people's minds. And that we only ever exist as figments of each others minds and none of us are truly alive.

Such a puzzling plot that I could of easily of got the wrong idea about, its loaded with dreamlike imagery from people wearing creepy masks to a spooky asylum styled hospital. The scenery (which is usually foggy) is bizarre as well, it ranges from strange caves to cross packed mountains and an odd looking fishing village. Worth seeing for anyone who loves arty surreal movies it's closest rival is the original Wicker Man, but its far more ambiguous than that.

(7 out of 10)