MovieChat Forums > Beyond the Black Rainbow (2011) Discussion > An outstanding debut film for Panos...

An outstanding debut film for Panos...

posted 11 years ago by Veritas_Lux_Mea
7 replies | jump to latest

I have to say this film is outstanding up until about the final 10 minutes. Up to that point it weaves an incredible spell and is beautiful...really beautiful...to look at. I do look forward to what he will do next and I think this film shows the guy is incredibly talented and capable of so much. I think based on the budget he was working with he and his crew created a fantastic environment for this little world to exist in.

I think a lot more thought should have gone into the ending though as it seems dropped in from another film. This ending could be a deal breaker for some people because it does not at all match the tone and mood of the rest of the film.

Spoilers in the next bit:

The two guys that Doctor Nyle encounters at the end before locating Elena seem to have strolled in from a Harold and Kumar film and that scene appears composed as comedy. Why this is stuck in the film is beyond me...pun intended. I'm not really sure why the choice to suddenly shift from intense mystery to broad comedy.

I really think that if you either ended the film before this scene occurred or wrote an ending that left you with the feeling of mystery that the rest of the film is suffused in this really would be perfect. I certainly am willing to overlook the ending because I had so much fun watching the rest of this but I hope we can chalk that up to his only freshman error and perhaps the limitations that can be caused by having to work quickly on a low budget. The film up until those two characters appear gets an A+ once they appear D-.

[–] tristaneldritch 11 years ago

I agree with pretty much all of that. I think the director probably actually had well-thought out reasons for ending the film the way he did - I just can't really fathom them out and it didn't really work for me. But up until then, wow....I thought this was one of the most impressive debuts I'd seen in about ten years. Hope he gets to do more stuff cause there's huge potential there.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Veritas_Lux_Mea 11 years ago

http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/167419-interview-beyond-the-black -rainbow-director-panos-cosmatos/

Shock: The movie leaves a lot of questions open about what you’ve just watched and though I’ve seen it a couple times I’m sure I can get more out of seeing it again. Have you thought at all about doing more with the story or character or showing the 17 years that passed before the movie’s opening?

Cosmatos: Well, I really hate prequels, so I’ve shown everything I wanted to show about what happened before and in the past, but yeah, of course, I’m intrigued by what might happen after the ending of the film.

Shock: It’s been a year since the movie’s been at Tribeca so have you been working on other things? What’s your next plan?

Cosmatos: Ever since I finished, I’ve been working on one screenplay that hopefully will be my next movie and it’s something I’d describe as a little bit more primal than this film, which is very reserved. If this movie is about containment and repression and regrets, the next thing I’m writing is more about aggression and primal emotions.

Shock: And that’s sticking to the genre territory?

Cosmatos: I have no interest in making anything but genre movies right now. I mean, to me, genre films offer the most interesting framework for exploring other ideas.

[–] Makarov-324 11 years ago

I think I can tell you why the movie ended this way. One of those two characters at the end was actually the director himself - quite obviously actually. That's probably why the scene feels so out of place.

[–] raedarius23 11 years ago

I just assumed that the second half of the film reflected the transition from the cerebral sci-fi of the seventies to the somewhat less cerebral slasher style of the eighties.

[–] TwinofKate 11 years ago

It also showed the transition of Dr. Nyle, minus his controlled environment, and how even at the end he couldn't do anything to Elena. I thought it was clever. I liked how even his custom Noriega leather suit was asymmetrical. Attention to detail to the max.

[–] Eric080 10 years ago

I viewed it as a reminder from the director that what we were seeing was supposed to be taking place in the "real world" and it was not just the director being surreal with the atmosphere and plot as one might be inclined to assume.