Dis
https://vimeo.com/231304899.
Dis (2017) [ 1922 Films ]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7304806/
https://www.facebook.com/Disthemovie/
runtime: 1.00.05
tagline: “What you sow, you shall reap…”
I – The Figure
This introduction is short and brutal, so there’s not much time for subtlety or backstory. On one hand you have a masked madman and on the other a woman in a rather unfortunate situation. If you’re a fan of the more extreme side of things you can probably guess how this is most likely to turn out. I love the look of it, in terms of the color palette and locations and I hate to even think about what they might have smelled like (for me that’s the sign of something enjoyable). Far more sexually explicit than I was expecting, and if one shot in particular had been framed even a little bit differently I don’t think it would have come off nearly as effectively. It’s not just garden variety nudity mind you; not going to spoil anything but be forewarned.
II – Mandragora
The music on this is fantastic, classical and very fitting with the scenes of nature and waterfalls when we first get started. So very many shades of green and lush vegetation, a happy bunny … and Bill Oberst Jr with a gun. Very low on dialog, but they make good use of music and ambient sounds to set mood and pacing. You get the impression that Bill is hunting / searching for something (and as the viewer you see that he’s being watched while he goes on his “quest”). Despite the fact that there’s no real semblance of a “society” surrounding the events (and you get the impression that things have either broken down or this is some “alternate reality”), this does not feel like your stereotypical “post-apocalyptic” setting. The sound design and score on this one are really fantastic, never seeming to take focus away from the visuals but definitely providing a strong accent. Selective use of black and white (to indicate what I’m assuming are flashbacks) also works well without being disruptive in how the scenes flow. Again, viewer beware as there are some more sexually explicit portions.
III – Dis
Incredibly short section, with some shots that I assume are supposed to wrap things up as it were. Since the main bit of the movie has already happened this almost feels like a “cooling down” period before the credits roll.
The narrative aspect of “Dis” is IMO somewhat minimal, relying more on visuals and sound to evoke reactions out of the viewer rather than trying to tell us something specific. You do however get some wonderful audio / music work and a good performance by Bill Oberst Jr. “The Figure” has a very distinctive walk / outfit / mask and considering that this character has no dialog to speak of, such details really flesh the character out more. “Dis” is well shot and the pacing has a nice variance throughout without feeling “all over the place”. Things seem to move in an organic fashion for the most part, but I will say that some of the information you gain from the black & white flashbacks seems a little disjointed because of just how minimal the backstory seems to be. The effects work (which appears to be practical in nature) is sprinkled throughout enough to add to the overall impression without being over-powering. Overall I very much enjoyed it, and if you enjoy movies that are minimal on dialog and heavy on imagery and atmosphere you should check this out if you have the chance.
Review by Bacon Kractor
