Luzifer

"Every day we stray further from God's light" may be a 'meme-able' saying, but it is one that is none-the-less true when we look at a mix of contempt and disinterest in institutionalized belief that is more prominent than ever. Yet, the interest in exploring faith through cinema seems ever present as religious horror is still an eminent subgenre - evident from Fantastic Fest screening other religious themed horrors such as Agnes, Exorcism of God and Eyes of Fire. However, Peter Brunner's Luzifer proves to be a unique beast, a dark mediation on religious fervor, isolation and mistreatment of nature.

While the direction and vision of Brunner makes the production a complete success, Susanne Jensen and Franz Rogowski give career defining performances as mother and son. In particular, Rogowski navigates the tricky territory of portraying someone with a severe learning disability, let alone a simple-minded individual managing the complexities of sexual guilt and religious fear. Overall, it is a remarkable performance to witness: the two play off of each other and fully commit to the life of these outsiders.

Deeply engrossing and tragically beautiful, Luzifer is a powerful piece of cinema that begs for a wider audience. Sadly, with the current state of A24-esque productions being considered the peak of arthouse cinema among the masses, productions like this seem more likely to get lost in the hype of other films making the rounds at festival season. Make no mistake, Luzifer is a beautifully realized experience that deserves similar accolades from the 'A24 vibes' crowd - give this one a shot.

I thought it would rise to retaliation against outsiders. Unexpectedly, the story continued between mother and son and myself. It was boring and wasted a good theme.

There's the baby/devil - now I will not bother going through my mind or my thoughts for this sentence that is one of the most used ones in the movie. There are not too many things that are being said, but this will stay with you. And the movie might stay with you too. I know that the manchild character certainly will. And while I am not the biggest fan of the specific actor, he did a great job portraying that said character.

The location is great and the sound design helps elevate this for all arthouse lovers. The mother character seems to not have done much in the acting world, but that is nothing that actually matters when it comes to the movie. It may even have been freeing for the director to see her spread her wings - no pun intended to other creatures who actually do this.

There are many things that get touched upon here - and again, if you see a pun here, I love the way you're thinking but try to get your head out of there. Trying to get ones head out of society - one of the themes. Which is hard all things considering - like having electricity and relying on a lot of people - not just God. The devil can be everywhere or you will be able to see him everywhere, if you look hard enough.

Also while we are never told how long the two have been living there, the fact they still use things from the modern world might be an indicator. The kid (man) who seems lost - and he wouldn't fare better in the "real" world, has been led to believe a few things. He only knows his mother and a handful of other people. He really does a great job - but the movie takes its sweet time. Something you can either get down with or be annoyed by. The movie still is able to deliver one final punch that is quite exhilarating. Certain (religious) things are hammered into the viewer, others are done with more subtlety. There is a strange mix going on here, that some will love because ... you know art.

But I am certain the director had a clear vision of what he wanted to make and he knows there is an audience for this kind of stuff. Those who will love it, will absolutely adore it ... but a lot will be just bored by it. Symbolisms and slow pacing are up for grabs ... sort of.

The two main actors are tremendous but the material is beyond strange. A mother and son live in a scenic mountain range with spectacular scenery and the cinematography is as good as I have ever seen. They are both bald and the woman is often nude. Ms. Jensen is along in years and the nudity is not a pleasant experience for the viewer. The pair practice what appears to be a mixture of Catholicism(judging by the Rosary beads and images of Jesus and Mary) and some type of nature worship with fire and water. Drones are a frequent adversary as developers are clear cutting the nearby forest and need to move the mountain dwellers for further use of their land. The dialogue is sparse and the final scene bizarre. I cannot recommend this film.

This is pure cinematic art, what a disturbing film full of symbolism. I found the falconry images fantastic. I was impressed by the representation of a syncretic Catholicism, immersed in an extremely telluric paganism as a counterpoint to the invasion of modernity that destroys nature, cutting down trees, killing people. Mud, images of saints, rosaries, bibles, cilices, self-flagellation, an attempt to make holy water out of dirty water from a frozen lake... What a strange film!