Aftermath

Oft lamented gore short in the same vein as 'Necromantik', though arguably a superior product.

A coroner performers his daily duties of managing the dead, but when the day ends and all others go home the dead are his to do what he pleases.

Timeing in at a mere 30 minutes and lacking any spoken dialogue, the film is very short on story. Aside form a couple quick bits out side of the operating room, the film doesn't concern itself with story details; it already knows exactly what it wants to show you. That being the graphic dismemberment and eventual sexual desecration of the dead. Showing as much of the process as the (very convincing) corpse effects will allow, hardly a detail is spared from view.

The coup de grace is, of course, meant to be the ultimate act of intercourse with a gutted out body, yet that was not the scene that affected me the most. A different scene involving a more real-world process of preparing a cadaver was (to my mind) more disturbing. It was so simple, by the numbers and unemotional, and no matter what I will be there someday.

Technically the film is outstanding. Effective camera use, perfect lighting, and a great use of both music and excellent sound effects. It could be argued that the film needs something resembling a story to further flesh out, and I would both agree and argue against it. Without a deeper story, the gory visuals do lose some emotional impact, but adding to much more would have thrown off the pace and dulled the impact of the film.

Definitely shocking, undeniably well made, but to simple to garner more than a curiosity viewing. Genre fans only please.

8/10

This short film presents in graphic detail the dirty little secret of funeral services. All too often, bodies are mutilated and raped. Karen Greenlee was jailed and became nationally famous for her rampant necrophilia in the 80s. Here, Nacho Cerda presents this topic with a great attention to detail and no sensationalism. The mortician fondles, mutilates, and rapes a corpse after the viewer witnesses a very accurate autopsy. The mortician takes home some souvenirs, pictures for himself and a heart for his dog. That's it, no distractions from the reality of the subject matter. It's not filmed in such a way as to shock the viewer but to present unapologetically the very sickening reality that things like this happen more often than we'd like to believe. The realism is the most disturbing part.

Using no direct dialogue, Nacho Cerda employs pure cinematic technique to create a horror powerhouse in AFTERMATH.

There is no plot, just a sequence of events leading up to the "rape" and desecration of a female corpse.

Mozart's "Requiem" accompanies the imagery.

Once again, as is common with films of this nature, sound design plays a large part in the film's effectiveness. I say "once again" because we have a pattern here. Strong, potent films by the likes of directors such as Gasper Noe (IRREVERSIBLE), Ruggero Deodato (CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST), Yasaharu Hasebe (ASSAULT JACK THE RIPPER), Augustin Villaronga (IN A GLASS CAGE), and now, Nacho Cerda, are notable for the acutely attuned, aural instincts of their highly talented creators.

AFTERMATH is a beautiful film, a gorgeously crafted gaze into the world of necrophilia and loneliness.

Cerda's GENESIS is equal in its technical department, but it lacks the power of its predecessor.

The additional, non-Mozart music cues, are simply perfectly placed and emotionally fierce.

This really isn't a movie. Hell, there really isn't even a story (nor is there talking). It's just some shock content and an overly long opening credits (around 5 minutes, which is absurd for a 30 minute film). While it's not exactly art it's definitely different. The film concerns a morgue where some morticians are doing autopsies. Later, one of the morticians proceeds to violate a female corpse while he's alone. The film features full-body nudity although I'm not sure if the bodies were fakes, real corpses donated to "the arts", or actors with prosthetic effects. Either way you see full-bodied nudity (both genders).

There's a weirdness to the whole thing. The scene with the morticians just going over their bodies is somewhat surreal. There's a bizarre character development that takes place despite the lack of speech and most of the mortician's face being obscured. His eyes convey his bizarre curiosity as he examines one of the men's naked frames, seemingly stopping on the genitalia. Later on when he starts with the female he seems to gingerly cut free her clothes. He plays with his blade delicately against her skin... then he guts her open. And a little after that the film really starts to get graphic, although I will say that he only uses one hand to examine her... There's a definite progression to the depravity.

It's a film that I wouldn't really think I'd be interested in but there was a certain oddity to this premise. And while the initial legitimate autopsies were harder for me to watch, a morbid curiosity better kept my attention for the second half especially since it was almost downright funny in places. I'm honestly not sure what they were going for with this, though. It's short, it's a little weird, but mostly it's just pointless. All the same it's really not bad and somehow has a strange charm to it. Ultimately it's more silly than disturbing, almost like an angsty teen's attempt to be edgy.

I first saw this film in 1998 at a film festival in London, and being able to see it on the big screen only added to the experience of seeing it. It begins as a routine autopsy, and you feel a sense of pathos as you follow the procedure, but then the whole thing becomes a little more uncomfortable, and it speaks volumes for the director that he can increase the suspense so subtly. The gore is very well done, and the ending is a masterpiece of queasy endings. The funny thing is, Nacho Cerda is one of the most well-adjusted people I've met, and it's incredible to think that something like this came out of his head. It's a short that is well worth seeing, but be prepared to be disturbed by it.