Genesis

It's best if you approach this short without knowing what to expect. Then you can immerse yourself in the journey that it takes you on. In particular, the use of colour is brilliant. Genesis is washed out and if colour is used it is mostly weak sepia tones. This serves as a stark backdrop to the occasional, yet perfectly timed, splashes of vibrant colour. Reds, greens and even flesh tones are heightened to a level rarely seen elsewhere.

The slow and deliberate orchestral score provides the only narrative to this piece. Not that it needs anything else. This is all about exploring how much the artist (both the director and the lead character) is willing to invest in their art.

I can see why this would be too slow for some, but anyone who feels that way is missing the point. Accept it for what it is and you will walk away enlightened, like any good piece of art should.

Heading into Genesis I was aware of one thing: it's only 30 minutes long. Beyond this, I was totally clueless to what would follow. What did follow was one of the best short-films I've ever seen. Check that....movies I've ever seen.

Genesis is the story of a man who from unknown reasons lost his wife. Since losing his wife, he's spent countless hours crafting sculptures of his dearly departed. He's now finishing up on another sculpture and this time, he's truly completed his best work to date. He knows it's his best work, and so does the movie-goer. While putting finishing touches on his masterpiece, he notices a red drip come from out of the shoulder of his statue. Inquisitively he studies it for a little bit and decides to get some rest. A scene later you see him sitting in his bed and his nose begins to bleed, he rushes to the sink to clean up, but what you see in the sink, isn't blood anymore, but residue of some type of ashy clay. From this moment on you're taken on a eerily beautiful trip through, love, dedication and death. It's not just these three feeling/aspects the viewer experiences, these are just the ones I related to most. The movie captures many wonderful and sad things pertaining to life and death.

The movie is shot in a gorgeous way; the camera-movement is slow and the camera shots are crisp and graphic. There is zero dialog, but the film thrives with just one silent, talented actor. And I can't forget about the music, it's absolutely perfect, it fits the cinematography 100%. Genesis I believe is more fantasy than horror, but it held my attention firmly as would a horror movie. Simply and flat-out it's one of my favorite movies. 10 outta 10.

If you have seen Cerda's film "Aftermath" you are sure to like this one. While I thoroughly can enjoy a good gore film, an actual story, good acting and artistic expression is a plus. "Genesis" Is all that. A hauntingly beautiful film in which a man creates a sculpture in the image of his dead wife. It's about mourning and how far people are willing to go for the ones they love. Even when the man notices what is happening he still keeps trying to finish the sculpture with all his might.

This movie starts off with home movies of a guy and his family. It is hard to work out what happens afterward, but after about 2/3rds of the movie you begin to realise what is going on. Unlike Aftermath, this one contains no necrophilia which may or may not be a disappointment to some viewers. This one is very hard to follow, but strangely compelling where the guy sacrifices himself for the one he loves, in a less than voluntary way.

After watching AFTERMATH - I didn't know what to expect from Nacho Cerda and GENESIS. I personally did not like AFTERMATH, not due to it being "disgusting" or "shocking", but because I just didn't get the point. I feel that AFTERMATH has been severely over-hyped due to it's subject matter, and that while it was a beautifully shot film, it just didn't have anything going for it, in my opinion. Not so with GENESIS - although the subject matter was not nearly as controversial, and there is very little in the "gore" department, GENESIS is one of the most well put together, hauntingly beautiful films I've ever seen. Not only is the camera-work itself crisp and clear, but the score and sound FX are absolutely perfect. The short centers around a man (Pep Tosar from AFTERMATH)whose wife is killed in an auto accident. He lovingly recreates her in sculpture, and the sculpture begins to come alive. As the sculpture of his wife begins taking on flesh and blood, the sculptor himself begins to turn to stone. GENESIS is not a "horror" film in the strict sense of the word. It is more a tragic love story dealing with themes of life,love, loss and death. I really don't know what to say about it, other than it is a real gem of a film and shows what a great director Cerda can be if approaching the right subject matter. Even though I personally was not at all impressed with AFTERMATH, GENESIS on the other hand is a masterpiece of a short film and makes me really want to see what Cerda will do next. Highly recommended 9 1/2 out of 10