Begotten (1991)
A film by E. Elias Merhige
Language bearers, Photographers, Diary makers
You with your memory are dead, frozen
Lost in a present that never stops passing
Here lives the incantation of matter
A language forever.
Like a flame burning away the darkness
Life is flesh on bone convulsing above the ground.
This is an original, bizarre and unique film from E. Elias Merhige. It's shot in an unusual grainy black and white, which gives the film a unique feel. There is no dialogue but the ambience of sound is eerie. The film begins with a withering creature cutting itself with a razor and giving birth to another creature. This creature gives birth to another strange creature, then later a group of hooded figures slay the two creatures. Their bodies are buried and flowers grow from their grave. That synopsis maybe doesn't sound very enticing, but this 78 minute film is well worth your time. Films like Begotten don't come along very often. A strange film experience.
"Wildly surreal... unorthodox... bizarre. A promising new artist." - David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
