Watched this at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Topics about Satanists and weird religious groups are strange and can be interesting to learn about. Whether what opinions can be said about the church, it's always interesting to learn about some weird aspects about religion. However, while I understand this movie is meant to be experimental documentary approach to the topic, this documentary doesn't offer much to say and really was one of the most dullest documentaries I had ever seen. The director Scott Cummings uses imagery, symbolism, and colorful presentation to tell the lives of Satanists individuals and what their experience is like. But by simply using images without any interviews or additional context doesn't work because the entire experience feels hollow and numb. The entire experience of seeing the individuals do their routines, strange works, and all feels forced and it rather felt like actors trying hard to act like Satanists rather than being nature.
Many of the imagery presentation feels cheap and the production feels like something you will see from a student film from college. The presentation, visuals and the style looks like something from Wes Anderson but make it boring, unfulfilling and cheap. To top it off, for a short run-time, it REALLY drags.
The sound designs are pretty good and there are some imagery moments that are interesting. Particular the introduction scene where a goat gives birth, a woman breastfeeds an animal, and some of the locations of the Satanists house look interesting. But I really got nothing out from this documentary and learned nothing.
I don't mind experimental movies as I have enjoyed quite a lot but by simply using images and symbolism without using some context or form of interviews isn't going to work. Instead, the movie feels like a poor student film with no context added.
One of the worst movies I had seen from this year's festival.
Topics about Satanists and weird religious groups are strange and can be interesting to learn about. Whether what opinions can be said about the church, it's always interesting to learn about some weird aspects about religion. However, while I understand this movie is meant to be experimental documentary approach to the topic, this documentary doesn't offer much to say and really was one of the most dullest documentaries I had ever seen. The director Scott Cummings uses imagery, symbolism, and colorful presentation to tell the lives of Satanists individuals and what their experience is like. But by simply using images without any interviews or additional context doesn't work because the entire experience feels hollow and numb. The entire experience of seeing the individuals do their routines, strange works, and all feels forced and it rather felt like actors trying hard to act like Satanists rather than being nature.
Many of the imagery presentation feels cheap and the production feels like something you will see from a student film from college. The presentation, visuals and the style looks like something from Wes Anderson but make it boring, unfulfilling and cheap. To top it off, for a short run-time, it REALLY drags.
The sound designs are pretty good and there are some imagery moments that are interesting. Particular the introduction scene where a goat gives birth, a woman breastfeeds an animal, and some of the locations of the Satanists house look interesting. But I really got nothing out from this documentary and learned nothing.
I don't mind experimental movies as I have enjoyed quite a lot but by simply using images and symbolism without using some context or form of interviews isn't going to work. Instead, the movie feels like a poor student film with no context added.
One of the worst movies I had seen from this year's festival.
