Christian mystics often achieved a spiritual ecstacy that mirrored sexual orgasm. Ecstacy and orgasm intermingle in this trinity (pun intended) of short films from auteur Antony Hickling.
Part One is titled Conception and we begin with a journey through tunnels, mirroring the emergence of the newborn through the birth canal. Our first glimpse of the mother is of a dejected, overweight frump, who quickly transforms into a lacquered and painted lady of the night (or of a rainy afternoon, in this case).
When punters appear thin on the ground, her next stop is into a church, introducing the sacred/profane dichotomy that permeates the project in both conception and execution.
As the film progresses, we are inundated with the juxtaposition of opposing themes. Beyond the baseline sacred/profane duality, we see domination/submission; tenderness/cruelty; beauty/grotesqueries; pleasure/pain; connection/alienation: opportunism/exploitation; innocence/decadence, and on and on.
Rather than trying to impose a narrative framework on what one sees, the film is best experienced by letting the images and themes stimulate one's individual response to Hickling's cinematic provocations. I found much that was disturbing (as was clearly the director's intent), but also much that was uplifting and even inspiring. One is left with a lot to think about and with a host of emotions that are difficult to articulate but strongly felt.
This is a great film to see with (open-minded) friends, as you will have much to discuss and debate in its aftermath.
