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First, the Recap:
Settlement. An established place through which an indigenous society can find its way, socially and economically, ideally to thrive for many, many ages to come. However, what happens when outside forces begin to appear, suddenly attempting to bring to bear their own ideas of what this already initiated world should now encompass–their way. Is it not the purpose for the existing residents to maintain, to guard that which threatens their ways? Yet, history tells us how, in too many circumstances, this choice can lead not to conserving a way of life, but losing it. In this case, it is Col. Pike (Colin Burnicle) who has located a new land, only to stumble upon the most motley of characters–Goatopia (Florent Venet), Chev (Louis James), Mag (Nabila Nebula) and Pie (Lilith Newson)–whose land he has now trespassed upon. Will he be able to turn them to his ways–or become a victim of his own colonial hubris?
Next, my Mind:
We shall now take a trip (perhaps while also feeling like you might be ON one) to distant land where elements of the past meet a highly dubious and even more highly hypothetical, bizarre future thanks to this 5-minute short from director Aitan Ebrahimoff that more than finds its home among that which is considered experimental cinema. Screened as another of the shorts at the 2020 Berlin Revolution Film Festival, the narrative follows the adventures of one seafaring commander’s arrival to a new land filled with obscure, wild things that at first treat him with disdain and isolation before subjecting him to their own strange rituals.
It really is one of the most oddball films the Festival offered this year, and some of me cannot say that it was remotely among my favorites. Yet, as with so much of this style of art, you cannot get past it without acknowledging the sheer dauntlessness and pride in their chosen craft and methodology that the filmmaker and its cast put forth here. It’s an all-out, energetic ride amidst all the overt eccentricities and plain old fashioned enigmatic qualities that emerge through it, such as its notions of colonization, guardianship of what’s already present, being the outsider in new places and the subsequent treatment that so often engenders carries forth.
There’s certainly a dark humor to it all here, but while it might be poking a satiric finger at certain elements being explored, there’s also no denying how it does assert an awareness of just how this world can be so glaringly non-understanding and naïve instead of just allowing things to be as they are, especially when that which is being deconstructed is seen as “outside the norm”. Here, we see an “interloper” whose real objective SEEMS more to try and intermingle with the native population he finds, but this time they seem to be the ones who would reject him outright before then choosing to initiate their own cultural rituals upon him that could spell his doom.
This is all so deeply speculative like the film itself, and again, its peculiarity went a little farther outside the lines than I personally preferred. But, this is also performance art at work, and hence the visuals here are very colorful and offbeat like the story itself, with the characters over-the-top in their appearances and actions, and the cinematography very spartan and raw. But, again, it FITS the piece and really gives it the almost primitive feel it elicits while allowing its cast to be quite flamboyant in both action and costuming. It’s hard to ignore whatever you might think of the film overall.
The whole cast does a wonderful job at holding nothing back in their roles here, really working as a cohesive unit to bring their performance art-based characters into existence. Burnicle plays the intrepid Col. Pike, an explorer from another land who discovers a new spot to inhabit until coming upon those already residing there who, as mentioned above, don’t quite like his presence in their domain. Treated with a neglect befitting his outsider status in their eyes, Pike makes all efforts to blend in with them, finally gaining their attention, but potentially to his own detriment.
Venet, James, Nebula, and Newson all make up the gaggle of “local residents” whom Col. Pike encounters, a mish-mash of human/animal hybrids if you will who seem more than content to defend their turf from this wanna-be intruder. Their non-acceptance of him from the start soon turns to further, albeit reluctant, curiosity before then being full-on interest, but for their own ends, and not to Col. Pike’s benefit. The wide array of finely detailed costuming and animalistic nuances each of the four actors exudes is actually quite impressive here, a credit to their given form of acting. Again, they all work together as an ensemble group to bring about the desired atmosphere.
In total, while this was not a favorite of mine, “Commander” still does its best job representing the performance art arena of indie filmmaking with presence and fortitude, accomplished visual presentation, and offering a still-relevent message via a much more abstruse angle of storytelling. Hey, this is arthouse cinema, folks. Best to expect ANYTHING.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
