{"id":19154,"date":"2015-03-27T13:00:11","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T18:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.toiletovhell.com\/?p=19154"},"modified":"2015-03-26T17:18:23","modified_gmt":"2015-03-26T22:18:23","slug":"gimme-something-to-watch-beyond-the-black-rainbow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/gimme-something-to-watch-beyond-the-black-rainbow\/","title":{"rendered":"Gimme Something to Watch: Beyond The Black Rainbow"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<em>I looked into the eye of the god. It looked right back through me. It looked through everything&#8230; it was so, so, so beautiful. Like a black rainbow.<\/em>&#8220;<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Released in 2009 and\u00a0and billed as a &#8220;Reagan-era fever dream,&#8221;\u00a0<em>Beyond The Black Rainbow<\/em>\u00a0is a mind-bending hypercolor sci-fi\u00a0psychotrope of a film that uses glacial pacing, minimal dialogue, gorgeous\u00a0cinematography and stunning\u00a0music to construct a captivating atmosphere of wonder and dread.\u00a0It centers around the imprisonment of a young telepathic girl and her obsessive doctor\/captor in the\u00a0sterile and confining Arboria Institute\u00a0in 1983. The institute, it seems, is not quite the transcendent utopia\u00a0it was founded to achieve.<\/p>\n<p><em>BTBR<\/em>\u00a0is the first directorial offering from Panos Cosmatos,\u00a0son of kickass-movie-making director George P. Cosmatos (<em>Tombstone<\/em>, <em>Cobra<\/em>), and it\u00a0wields a hypnotic eyeball-grabbing experience few other films can match. Visually, it&#8217;s equal parts <em>2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, <em>Drive<\/em> and\u00a0<em>Phase IV<\/em>. Symmetrical framing, slow movements, geometric patterns and colors fighting for screen dominance convey an other-worldliness that beautifully align with the film&#8217;s progressing story.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22903\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage1.jpg?resize=700%2C259&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage1\" width=\"700\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage1.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage1.jpg?resize=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22904\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage2.jpg?resize=700%2C280&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage2\" width=\"700\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage2.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage2.jpg?resize=300%2C120&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22907\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage4.jpg?resize=700%2C261&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage4\" width=\"700\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage4.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage4.jpg?resize=300%2C112&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Sonically,\u00a0<em>BTBR<\/em>\u00a0is wholly immersive in both sound and score. Scenes in the institute hum and rumble with the ever-present white noise of corporate air conditioning and the low thrumming of\u00a0electrical infrastructure beneath the floors. The\u00a0soundtrack, by Jeremy Schmidt of <strong>Sinoia Caves<\/strong> and <strong>Black Mountain<\/strong>, is an analog\u00a0masterpiece\u00a0of retro keyboards and vintage synthesizer sounds that work hand-in-hand with the visuals to both evoke the era of the film and\u00a0complement the cold indifference of glass-lined hallways or the unsettling nausea of flashbacks.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s a perfect example. Just prior to the\u00a0film&#8217;s\u00a0halfway point, the film\u00a0launches into a fantastic sequence set to a soaring moog-fueled space rock anthem (turn your speakers up for this one).<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/66702622\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"Beyond The Black Rainbow - Sentionauts\" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>All of this begins to turn dark in the final act,\u00a0once it&#8217;s revealed what the institute was founded on and the effects\u00a0it caused. The 1966 scene\u00a0is among the most dreamlike and nightmarish sequences you&#8217;re ever likely to see.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22913\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage5.jpg?resize=700%2C258&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage5\" width=\"700\" height=\"258\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage5.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage5.jpg?resize=300%2C111&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22914\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage6.jpg?resize=700%2C257&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage6\" width=\"700\" height=\"257\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage6.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage6.jpg?resize=300%2C110&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22917\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage7.jpg?resize=700%2C271&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage7\" width=\"700\" height=\"271\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage7.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage7.jpg?resize=300%2C116&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em>BTBR<\/em> is a film that eschews hitting plot points on a specific time schedule, and\u00a0it is not forthcoming with wordy exposition or dialogue. Like many\u00a0works of David Lynch,\u00a0atmosphere, mood, and a cloud of questions about where it&#8217;s headed are practically characters in themselves. It is in no hurry.\u00a0It trusts in its viewer\u00a0to wholly accept the\u00a0world it presents and reach the necessary conclusions, but also leaves many elements undefined and unexplained. It&#8217;s a film\u00a0whose look, sound and overall experience stick with you long after the credits conclude.<\/p>\n<p>If you have the means to set aside 90 minutes in a dark room with plenty of volume, an open mind and a clear schedule, I strongly suggest you watch this film and find out for your&#8230; self.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-22922\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage9.jpg?resize=700%2C246&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"BTBR_bodyimage9\" width=\"700\" height=\"246\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage9.jpg?w=700&amp;ssl=1 700w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/BTBR_bodyimage9.jpg?resize=300%2C105&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Beyond The Black Rainbow<\/em> is currently available on Netflix and DVD\/Blu-Ray.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Soundtrack available via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jagjaguwar.com\/onesheet.php?cat=JAG253\" target=\"_blank\">Jagjaguwar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">(images taken from DVD release)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I looked into the eye of the god. It looked right back through me. It looked through everything&#8230; it was so, so, so beautiful. Like a black rainbow.&#8220;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":21455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[370,403,70],"tags":[2819,3192,2821,3161,2945,2820,1827,3191],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/BTBR_header2.jpg?fit=700%2C460&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/toiletovhell.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}