REVIEW
Unsettling and mysterious, this ghostly tale will remind some of the works of David Lynch and the Brothers Quay, as the film weaves a bizarre, darkly sinister story about a young man’s inner demons and his search for redemption. Set in a world of almost perpetual darkness (the sun peeks out for only 15 seconds at noon), Oscar is trapped in his dull, orderly life working at the Natural History Museum and studying insects. His routine is interrupted when he returns to his apartment one night to find a pregnant African woman lying naked and gravely ill in his bed. After the woman “dies,” he tends to the body as it becomes encased in a cocoon-like shell awaiting its next reincarnation. Along the way, vivid memories of his childhood spent in Africa, images of a troubled young sister, recurring appearances of different sets of twins, sexual acts and most of all, glimpses of exotic, otherworldly insects seep out of his dreams and into his reality. Director Olivier Smolders’ complexly structured film uses a blood-drained sepia-toned palette and features an absolutely masterful use of set design. This is ultimately a work that is disturbing and surrealistic, yet always compellingly watchable. (French with English subtitles)