Mia Goth recently put out the pertinent reflection that we all have in mind when the time for Oscar nominations and other awards arrives. The constant disregard for genre cinematerror and the fantastic, except for very specific phenomena such as ‘Let me out’, despite being the styles that have the greatest impact and that have several box office successes throughout the year.
It is, without a doubt, a failure by the Academy when it comes to taking the pulse of its own industry and which emphasizes the disconnection with the current public by staying in no man’s land. The continuous acknowledgments to the drama, although estimable and necessary for films of this style to continue to exist, they put aside really commendable workssuch as that of Goth herself in ‘Pearl’.
pain, revenge and chainsaws
Or that of Andrea Riseborough, who has achieved her first recognition with the dramatic ‘To Leslie’ despite being consistently doing fabulous work in independent productions closely connected to the fantastic. Even in ‘Mandy’ he has one of those commendable jobs that help solidify a proposal, even though it seems that almost everything falls on an unleashed and extraordinary Nicolas Cage.
Panos Cosmatos’ film tells us how a quiet couple who lives in a remote forest is threatened by a dangerous sect that was passing through the area. The leader develops an obsession with Riseborough’s character, and they begin a terrifying assault that will brutally disrupt their lives. Cage’s character, broken and desperate, has only an even more beastly revenge left.
It all sounds very typical, but there’s nothing that ‘Mandy’ doesn’t do. one of the most amazing audiovisual experiences in recent years. From the interpretations to the development of revenge as an almost medieval adventure (Cage making an ax halfway between a classic weapon and a role-playing piece) that is not afraid of going to extremes. Chainsaw duels, psychedelic color distortions in the image, intense surrealism. Ask and it shall be granted.
‘Mandy’: extreme psychedelia
Cage is clearly the main draw, with one of those works where he takes his own meme to its ultimate consequences, and yet touches a very human pain in the process. The screams of him, his unleashed gesticulations, they are all in tune with the film, but they highlight edges in a destroyed character. However, none of it would work without the chemistry he develops with Riseborough.
After all, it is his character who gives name to the function and sense to the conflict. In the time it is on screen, it makes us emotionally connect with this woman and make us awed by her unfortunate fate. It’s the kind of work that, developed into a more conventional drama, still wouldn’t be overlooked by certain quarters. But ‘Mandy’ was meant to be cult film from here to eternityand it will continue to recover over the years as long as it remains available on platforms such as Filmin or Movistar +.