Eden Log (2009)

This is now already the third part of my little review series: Movies that are way better than you expect."Eden Log" is a completely underrated dark experimental science-fiction movie. It impresses with brilliant camera settings that give the movie an adventurous dark video game touch and a very artistic approach. The minimalist dialogues remind of other popular experimental movies like the brilliant pioneer work "Eraserhead". The dark and gripping atmosphere honour the French film noir genre at its best. Don't expect any horror moments, big fighting scenes or stunning special effects as this movie lives from its simplistic approach and dark and calm atmosphere. The acting is also very basic but overall great and especially Clovis Cornillac proves once again that he can play quite everything and is one of the best modern French actors out there. The story itself is indeed less important but has still some interesting philosophical touches and a minor twist in the end.This movie is a great gem for anybody that is interested in artistic avant-garde cinema and dark video games but doesn't fit to a larger audience because it is not commercial and quite unusual in every aspect. This movie happens to be experimental at all costs and is as unique as it is courageous, especially if you consider that this is the director's first full length movie. Even if this movie lacks of budget and commercial success, it is technically stunning and something vivid for the science-fiction genre that lives some difficulties and a downfall of popularity nowadays. If you like this movie, be sure to also check out the Swiss low budget gem "Cargo" or also the experimental "Valhalla Rising".The average on this site shows that many people adored while other completely hated it and the average is somewhere in between. But I sure you that it's nearly impossible to think the film is mediocre and that you either adore or hate it. No matter how you ultimately decide this movie may be an unforgettable flick for each one of you.

I checked the spoiler warning but there's no need. I defy anyone to make a coherent statement about anything in this film that would give anything away. There's no beginning, no middle and no end. Nothing is explained or makes sense on its own. I watched the French version with English subtitles, but I might as well have watched the Swahili version with subtitles in Esperanto. Worse yet, it's filmed in "seizure vision".The only good news is I have a new addition to my list of "Why the French should not be allowed to make science fiction movies" which include - Fantastic Planet, Le Jete, The Fifth Element, Immortal and Alphaville.

This is a very strange movie - a pretty good one; don't get me wrong; but a strange one. As it begins, an unnamed man with no memory awakens in what can only be described as hell. We watch him explore this place, desperately searching for a way out, and we, too, face the same question he's facing - what is this place? And - of course - how did this guy come to be here? The mystery surrounding the environment, which is very dark and claustrophobic, is a pretty good one. Over the course of the movie, I took 3 guesses as to what was happening. My first was that this was some sort of scientific experiment run amok - this was suggested by repeated references to labs. My second was that we were seeing the desperate aftermath of a nuclear holocaust, which was suggested by the scenes of extreme devastation we see. My third was that this was some sort of religious fable, which was suggested by the opening reference to the Creation narrative in Genesis (although the movie as a whole really seemed to have more in common with the Book of Revelation.) In the end, the movie doesn't really answer those question or give a straightforward explanation of what's been going on, although I thought that a combination of my first and third scenarios seemed most likely.To me - it seemed as if the movie was making the suggestion that the creation of humanity was caused by some sort of "divine" lab experiment that didn't work, with the unnamed man (and the woman he encountered) being loosely cast as Adam and Eve awakening to the desperate realities of their condition. The title "Eden Log" then suggests that this is a sort of account of how and why "Eden" (in the Genesis narrative) came to be. This was reinforced for me by the end of the movie, which seemed to reference something of the Judeo-Christian narrative - that from this point on (the point at which the man emerges from the earth, just as Genesis portrays Adam as being brought forth from the earth) the goal of the man (and his creators, whoever they were) is to find a way to return them to their original state, which surely must have been better than the hellish state we saw in this movie. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but that seemed to be the only explanation that made sense to me. So, I found it an interesting reflection on and recreation of creation itself.

I found the first 3 to 5 minutes annoying. Snips of scene flashing on screen got boring. Someone went to school and thought flashing lights were really cool. A bit of an overkill. Darkness all through the film adds to the feeling that perhaps you don't want to know what is happening. The story unfolds in bits and pieces, as the main character stumbles through a maze of tunnels, caves or what ever. More flashy lights. For the most part I found the story interesting. Most of the backdrop, and sets are very compelling, especially toward the end. The grainy B/W photography, adds to the suspense, as does the hollow echoy sound. Loved the ending. I have just watched it once, but I will probably watch it again. Enjoy, good Sci-Fi.