2021 |
Bertrand Mandico |
FrenchAfter loving his 2017 feature debut “Les Garçons sauvages”, I needed to see Bertrand Mandico’s next feature. And while this isn’t as fantastic as his debut, it’s still very great.
With “After Blue (Paradis sale)”, Mandico pretty much leaves behind everything that even resembles a narrative. The film doesn’t really have a plot or anything that comes close to being one. It’s an almost western-like mother-daughter trip through a strange planet.
While the lack of plot might weaken the film a bit and and it didn’t necessarily need a runtime of 129 minutes, there wasn’t a boring second. I think the film is very well-paced. I was super surprised when I saw that I was already 57 minutes in, cause it felt like so much less.
And the film is an audiovisual feast. The score is absolutely insane and one of the most interesting and atmospheric I’ve heard in a while. The sound-design is great too. And the visuals, oh the visuals. Mandico already showed the he knows how to make his films absolutely beautiful with “Les Garçons sauvages”, and he does it again here. The colors, the light, the use of focus, the textures. Everything is just absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. The visuals are literally out of this world. One of the most visually stunning films I’ve ever seen. And the set-design is just magnificent. Everything looks so amazing and the creature design is excellent too. Like, the work done on this film is beyond perfect.
With “After Blue (Paradis sale)”, Mandico delivered a style over substance arthouse extravaganza. Weird, super surrealistic, decidedly incoherent and plotless, dreamlike, disturbed, hairy, sexual, horny, colorful, slimy and very atmospheric.
Also never thought I’d hear the name Kate Bush this often in one film.
