Feed the Light (2014) d. Möller, Fredrik (Sweden) (1st viewing) 81 min
After losing custody of her daughter, Sara (Lina Sunden) learns that her ex-husband (Patrik Karlson) has disappeared with the child into some strange religious underground (both literally and figuratively) compound. She infiltrates the sect by getting hired as part of the cleaning crew, a plot device that would seem flimsy if not for the fact that it quickly becomes clear that no normal person would want this job: not only is she required to yield her cell phone (and any other means of contact) to the buttoned-down boss (Jenny Lampa), the interview takes place in a room with a naked dog-man (Morgan Schagerberg) crouched in the corner, and her job duties include sweeping up invisible sparkling dust that gathers under the various light sources.
These odd touches set the stage for experimental writer-director-editor-cinematographer Möller’s feature debut, an exercise in cosmic horror based loosely on Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space,” which also provided the basis for 1965’s AIP effort Die, Monster, Die! Originally shot in color and converted to stark black-and-white, the nightmare imagery both aesthetically and thematically recalls David Lynch’s Eraserhead, and the swift running time (almost) keeps the viewer distracted from asking too many questions about the rules of this bizarre universe.
According to the brief making-of interview on Intervision’s Blu-ray release, Möller and co-writer Martin Jirhamn (who also plays the mysterious head of maintenance who aids Sara in her quest) took on the challenge to create a feature for $14,000 as posed to a collective of Swedish filmmakers, scripting around available locations and keeping the cast small. The end result is an admirable exercise in style and atmosphere on a microbudget, aided by a skilled and/or quirky ensemble of players and some minimal special effects (most notably the injection of color for various scenes, such as a red coat a la Schindler’s List or some vibrant splashes of red when the blood occasionally flows).
In addition to the interview with the director, we are also given a glimpse behind the scenes via a 15-minute featurette and the festival favorite’s (among other accolades, it won the Best Feature award at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival) theatrical trailer.
Feed the Light is available now on Blu-ray from Intervision (a division of Severin Films) and can be ordered HERE:
https://severin-films.com/feed-the-light/
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