Review of Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) by Mark S — 17 Nov 2011
This is a surreal, silent short film from Maya Deren, one of the very first independent filmmakers. Shot in 1943 in what was probably her own house by herself and her husband, the movie captures subjective consciousness in a way no other film up to that time had (except maybe Un Chien Andalou).
It follows a woman having a dream one afternoon, during which several bizarre things happen. Describing them would be kind of pointless. The movie uses editing, point of view, and other cinematic techniques to invest objects with ominous significance.
It follows dream logic, and it isn't as outrageously surreal as Un Chien Andalou, but it's still well beyond what moviegoers were used to in 1943. We watched this movie in a film class in the context of David Lynch's work, and the influence on Lynch was pretty clear.
It's amazing to discover such a bizarre, non-narrative film from such a long time ago.
This review of Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) was written by Mark S on 17 Nov 2011.
Meshes of the Afternoon has generally received very positive reviews.
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