In 1983, a young mute woman with uncanny abilities is held prisoner within the sterile and dehumanising Arboria Institute. Her captor is Dr Barry Nile, a sinister, wig wearing pseudo-scientist. He becomes increasingly obsessed with her and, when she escapes, he loses his mind completely during the pursuit.
The first film of a major new talent, this may lack the preposterous imagination and violent energy of Mandy (perhaps my favourite film of the 21st century - so far), but it is an important introduction to the strange new / old world of director / writer Panos Cosmatos: a place where time and space are malleable (Black Rainbow is set in 1983, but it could be 1969 or 2001 or 2120); a place where hallucinogenic drugs are mandatory even though they are not necessary; a place where science fiction and horror and fantasy gleefully collide into each other, and cosmic sparks fly on impact.
I absolutely love this guy, so much so that I'm not even frustrated by the paucity of his output (just two films and a 56 minute TV episode in 15 years): the quality of his work is so extraordinarily high I'm just waiting to see what he does next.
