In a world that battles spiritual and moral decadence, excesses of the body and seemingly limitless debauchery, our protagonist Orfeo, acquires the role of a contemporary Dante Alighieri on a quest to comprehend the idea of freedom and the meaning of existence. The film is especially notable in the manner in which it brings all of these concerns to life employing skilled, seamless visuals and equally strong writing to not simply match, but also enhance them.
As Orfeo progresses from one corner of the night to another, moving from a Hellish den of addictions and promiscuity, to an isolating cab ride and then to a sudden encounter with a stranger, the narrative invokes almost a sense of nyctophilia with its portrayal of the night and its darkness. However, the emotional or mental darkness that it could potentially signify is not a welcome thought, but one requiring analysis, and even the pursuit of an escape from it, if one is possible to begin with.
The film is grim, but poetic in its exploration and engagement with the human condition. The thematic issues it deals with are disconcerting, a similar disorientation also conjured by way of its visuals, but alluring in their surreal beauty. Consequently, traversing this landscape marked by its carnal nature, and an inherent meaninglessness, also becomes an exercise in admiring the aesthetics of darkness, one which is broken and interrupted, albeit in a controlled manner, only by city lights, or by the brief warmth of companionship, as fleeting as it might be, or in the hope that nights are sometimes accompanied by glowing stars, and always by the hope of a morning that would follow soon after.
Read LessAs Orfeo progresses from one corner of the night to another, moving from a Hellish den of addictions and promiscuity, to an isolating cab ride and then to a sudden encounter with a stranger, the narrative invokes almost a sense of nyctophilia with its portrayal of the night and its darkness. However, the emotional or mental darkness that it could potentially signify is not a welcome thought, but one requiring analysis, and even the pursuit of an escape from it, if one is possible to begin with.
The film is grim, but poetic in its exploration and engagement with the human condition. The thematic issues it deals with are disconcerting, a similar disorientation also conjured by way of its visuals, but alluring in their surreal beauty. Consequently, traversing this landscape marked by its carnal nature, and an inherent meaninglessness, also becomes an exercise in admiring the aesthetics of darkness, one which is broken and interrupted, albeit in a controlled manner, only by city lights, or by the brief warmth of companionship, as fleeting as it might be, or in the hope that nights are sometimes accompanied by glowing stars, and always by the hope of a morning that would follow soon after.
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