Link to a review here - http://mubi.com/lists/cinema-of-the-abstract
Throughout history numerous artists have tried through their work and musings to uncover the meaning of life. This film on the other hand portrays characters in a desperate search for any sort of meaning they can attribute to their deaths. It's a gruesome and absurd process but as in life, there is no answer.
Sick people driven mad by work. Wow, what a great opening sequence. A strange mix: some scenes are played and filmed completely natural, while others are much more elevated and cinematic. The really brilliant parts are the hypnotic interjections between the two. Loved the score. "Everyone knows they bait the line...A slow tailspin to the pits of hell, where you crash and burn." This one has all my favorite elements.
Great. Really reminded me of Beckett and Kafka in its exploration of human powerlessness and bureaucracy, especially with the political context in mind. Visually it's meticulously composed, and in a similar way as Antonioni (a contemporary), Teshigahara juxtaposes natural landscapes with man-made structures really well. Also, some great use of superimposition and swish pans to mix the surreal with the social realism.
