Panos Cosmatos brings a bold, Kubrickian vision to the screen in stunning detail in this sci-fi fable of a young woman imprisoned in an experimental laboratory and the enigmatic scientist who is her captor. Set in a futuristic 1983, Elena finds herself held against her will in a mysterious facility under the watchful eye of the sinister Dr. Barry Nyle. Pushed to her limits, Elena is left with no choice but to navigate an escape from her labyrinthine prison, in the process revealing its hidden secrets.
At once creatively futuristic and hypnotically retro, Beyond the Black Rainbow evokes the spirit of classic 1970s and ‘80s science fiction films through its vintage-inspired chromatic cinematography, elaborate set pieces, and an authentically retro sci-fi score composed entirely on analog synthesizers by Black Mountain’s Jeremy Schmidt. With all the makings of a cult classic, Beyond the Black Rainbow is sure to absorb viewers in its unique dystopian futurescape, and marks the trippy, exciting debut of a promising new talent in the science fiction world.
— Cara Cusumano, Tribeca Film Festival
Haters going to hate and I was first in line with the THX 1138, Kubrick, Holy mountain comparisons coming off the trailer but this was a great visual and tone trip and creeped me out more than once. Not an easy feat. The best Cronenberg film never made. Perfect midnight movie for the psychotronic eye.
Wonderful sound and cinematography, BTBR succeeds at creating a creepy hallucinatory atmosphere. With the slow deterioration of Dr. Barry Nyle into total psychosis, the stage is set for some really freaky shit to go down. Unfortunately, the first half of the movie is slow and we never learn a thing about any of the characters. Still, BTBR haunts well, lingering deep in the psyche, like a beautiful nightmare should.
An entry collecting previews, interviews and reviews from the event known far and wide as the “film festival with the boring parts cut out.”
Updated through 5/5. "At first it was about neighborhood," begins Eric Hynes in the Voice. "Then it was about stars, parties, and supersizing
