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Aftermath/Genesis (2005)
Although he's been making moves in film for at least 17 years, Nacho Cerda has to be one of the better directors out there today. Not just genre films either, as the man truly does some wonderful things with his movies especially the way they are presented. I feel that his debut feature film "The Abandoned" is one of the greatest horror films in the last ten years. So why don't we head back in the Bloodtype time machine and see what he did before that film, shall we?
One Unearthed Films DVD of "Aftermath/Genesis" there is three of Mr. Cerda's short films on the disc. We have "The Awakening" a short film that Cerda made in 1990, "Aftermath" easily the most notorious short in the collection from 1994, and "Genesis" the third one in the series from 1998. All three basically fit the same idea and are more than appropriate shown together in this excellent collection.
First up we have "The Awakening" which is presented in black and white and sports a running time of about 8 minutes. It's a very dream like in it's presentation of a young man who falls asleep in a classroom. Upon waking up he realizes that time has stopped as well as everything around him. Although it looks like a student film, there's no doubt that there is talent there with Cerda. It's moody, atmospheric, and surreal in it's approach to creep you out. Although it's so short, it's pretty impressive at what Cerda pulls off with it. It's an 8 minute short that actually has the literary "Beginning, middle, and end" which shows how inspired this really was.
Second we have the infamous "Aftermath". It's one of the most shocking looks I've ever seen into the world of a coroner. It's ferocious in it's attempt to disturb the viewer and believe me, it works in astounding fashion. It really shows the sadness in death and also how vulnerable we all are after death. You're basically at the hands of a stranger and their own detestable actions, in which most situations in life before death will never be experienced. It really puts into perspective our "civilized society" in which when people die we rip their bodies apart only to carelessly put them together in an act that a lot of people think human beings have no right to do. Ultimately this is my favorite short film that I've ever seen (even better in my opinion than Douglas Buck's genius short "Cutting Moments") and that's saying something. It's amazing at just how wonderful the cinematography is considering it's showing such gruesome images. It's disturbed, shocking, and one masterful work of art from Cerda showing how much he'd improved over the four years in between this and "The Awakening".
Last but not least we have "Genesis". It's an incredibly moving and sad short about a sculptor who is having a hard time dealing with the loss of his wife in a car accident. The man makes a statue of his wife for remembrance and as it seems the statue is coming to life. As this happens the man also notices strange occurrences with his own body, and you really do wonder is this man crazy or is it an act of a higher power? But anyway it's perceived by it's viewer it's really a heart breaking, exquisite film that I felt was one of the more powerful films I've ever seen. There's no doubt that if you've ever lost a loved one in your life that you'll understand and possibly even be moved emotionally from this. That's how good this one is.
Not only are there the three shorts on the disc you get commentaries from Nacho Cerda for all three shorts, a making of "Aftermath" featurette that is worth seeing because of all of the effects that went into it, interviews with Cerda and Nekromantik director Jorg Buttgereit, story boards, production photos, and much more on this excellent disc.
Although the subject matter in "Aftermath" will be too strong and realistic for a lot of people, there's much more to this disc than just shock value. All three short films are definitely works of art and it's a wonderful disc to see a true artist progress in his craft. Not only would I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it, but I would urge you to buy a copy of this one as it's honestly a wonderfully put together disc from the people over at Unearthed Films.
Rating - ****
-Ed Demko
