Writer/director Charlie Deaux has created a powerful and visually stunning experimental film: Zeotrope.  This 18-minute short is based on a Kafka story, In the Penal Colony, and succeeds in putting onto film the psychological horror of being tortured.

Sometime in the future, an unnamed man is arrested and tortured.  What his crime is or why he's being treated this way is never answered, in fact the question itself barely even comes up.  While he's enduring physical pain, an officer spouts out philosophical ramblings that the prisoner only partially hears and understands.  With no hope of rescue or respite, the tortured man is left with very few options.

This is one avant-garde film that works very well.  The director isn't trying to tell a linear story, he's trying to convey a state of mind, and in that he succeeds brilliantly.  While watching this movie it is very easy to put yourself in the prisoner's mind: all alone, naked in a cell, he knows that pain is the only thing waiting for him.  Unsure of what is going on or why, he has no control over his destiny.

This film is reministent of Chris Marker's La Jetee.  The black and white photography is stark yet crisp, and the future world is dark and unknowable.  In both films much of the story is told through the movie's style and it's that style that gives the work its substance.

There are several things that make this such an intense movie.  The sound track helps a lot, creating an atmosphere that is anything but soothing.  The loud clanking of machinery and the hissing of steam jets often makes it hard to understand what the torturer is saying.  It is clear that the man is in pain, but the director eschews the simplest methods of conveying that.  There are no screams or prolonged agonized faces wracked with fear and agony.  Instead he relies on fast cutting and unusual visuals to convey what is going on.

This piece's strongest point is in the editing.  The way the film is cut together is nothing short of amazing, and is responsible for a lot of mood of the film.  Interesting visuals are shown only for a second and rapid montages help create the unsettling feeling that this piece has.  Like the victim, you're never sure just where you stand and what the next scene will bring.

The only real complaint I have with this film is the dialog.  I assume it was taken directly from the Kafka story, but when said out loud it sounds a bit hokey and strange.  Phrases like "Let go of the intangible mess of your mind.  It is only an illusion." may have sounded deep and meaningful in the 20's, but they just don't work now.  This is a very minor critique though, as the dialog is a small, and it could be argued insignificant, part of the film.

Audio:

The stereo soundtrack fits the subject matter perfectly.  This film has a chaotic sound to it, much like the subject matter.  The voice of the interrogating officer is often downed out by the noise of the ever present machinery and it waxes an wains as the torture sessions go on.  While the voices and noises are hardly ever clear and distinct, the audio is free from distortion and other defects.  There are no subtitles.

Video:

The black and white 1.85:1 widescreen image is not anamorphic, but it does look very, very good.  The image is crisp and very tight with a lot of detail and grey shades.  The swirling smoke that seems to be ever present is rich and textured and shows no signs of blocking or other digital defects.  A fine looking disc.

Extras:

There are no extras included with this film, which is a shame.  An interview or commentary with writer/director Charlie Deaux would have been a welcome addition to the disc.

Final Thoughts:

Zeotrope is a disturbing yet well made avant-garde film that illustrates the physcological effects of torture.  Though I can't comment on how close it is to the Kafka story on which it is based, this film succeeds in creating a dark and disturbing mood.  Fans of experimental film should rush out to pick up this excellent example of unique film making.  Highly Recommended.