REVIEWED
..::Dissociative December - A Cold Month Of Mind Control::..
“You look lovely when you sleep... sleep Elena, sleep” - Barry Nyle (Michael Rogers)
Panos Cosmatos's 'Beyond the Black Rainbow' is oozing with late 70s early 80's cold war paranoia. Set in 1984 in a futuristic new age commune known as the Arboria Institute. Elena whose never had contact with her natural parents as been brought up by scientists in the commune since birth. Its Dr. Barry Nyles task to lead Elena on her path to becoming a new evolution of human, a sort of new Eve.
The films got the dubious honor of making me fall asleep not once but twice in past viewings. But because the central character is ideal for my dissociative themed month, I endured it and managed to stay awake during my 3rd attempt. The actings a little weak, though Michael Rogers as doctor Nyle was pretty solid, was more than a little Bale feeling at times. Visually it unmistakably pays a huge debt to THX 1138, 2001 and probably most of all 'Suspiria'. Aurally its brilliant mix of analog synths by Black Mountains Jeremy Schmidt and a few retro 80s sounding songs. Sadly the film feels labored by trying to be clever while being coldly ambiguous, its overlong and extremely dull. I did really like the Dharma Initiative like Dr. Arboria segments. Its one of those movies I fully expected to like, seemed like it wad going to be my kinda a movie, but sadly it bored me senseless and the endings abysmal.
[Personal Reasons For OBEYING]
Its packed with control themes
[x] The most basic form of mind control is repetition - sleep Elena, sleep, sleep.
[x] A nurse reads Nyles 'SUBJECT EVE' documents which allude to drug & sleep deprivation tests, which result in a dissociative disorder. Also hints at some fertility tests for androgynous beings possibly alien life forms.
[x] Opening your third eye - creepy Barry as a dream of being reborn that includes him having a third eye painted on his forehead.
[x] Mirror mind control - lots of mirrors throughout the movie, to give the illusion of being in a disorientated state
Originally taken from Letterboxd
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