By: JWBM
We often find ourselves in routines, taking for granted the love ones around us: conversing, joining in dinner, and sharing a bed are basic guarantees in our minds. If an accident were to happen, many of us would be unprepared and might end up traveling down a spiral of despair and uncertainty from all the memories and joined moments. If there was a glimmer of hope after the fact, I feel some would go through with it no matter what the consequences would be. Those truly in love often strive for each other's happiness after all.
Apart from dealing with death, the subject matter of Nacho Cerdà's "Genesis" is far removed from his two earlier works "The Awakening" and "Aftermath." The only exception to that is how this film is paced and shot compared to "Aftermath." "Genesis"—sharing the same rich-in-the-eyebrows lead, Pep Tosar—is likewise methodically driven to squeeze every bit of ambiance out of the room. Apart from some nightmarish flashbacks, this feels more a drama and fantasy than it does an outright horror or thriller: deep rooted emotions and some fantastical ideas are at its core rather than shocks or surprises. Instead of having dialogue or a voice over, it's fueled by a haunting classical score, eerie sound effects, and hovering wide-angle camera angles. These seem to slowly chip away and shed light on the inner happenings of a sculptor who lost his wife and now finds a way to bring her back while at the same time slipping away himself.
This was a well put together 30 minute short. It comes with its own unique mood with the artists's studio presenting an escape to a place of sadness and solitude. It creates a certain level of relatability for anyone who's felt powerless after a sudden loss. While not the perfect fantasyland outcome one would ultimately want, it instead delves into what love and sacrifice actually mean and how some of us interpret them when presented with the impossible. The film relies more on how you feel towards it rather than writing in between the lines of every action or motivation for you. With some more length to it, I feel it could have expanded even further on its themes and could have possibly been even more of an emotional force.
Rating: 8/10
Director: Nacho Cerdà (The Awakening, Aftermath)
Actors: Pep Tosar, Trae Houlihan
Info: IMDB link
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