Spinal switch bone

Coralie Fargeat and Guillermo del Toro talk; Revenge (2017); Reality plus (2014)

I’ve glanced at the public talk between Coralie Fargeat and Guillermo del Toro this morning earlier. The talk’s actual date seems to be one year ago. Expressing my act as “glance at” is no exaggeration (or deliberate diminishment), but I can’t assert I watched it. After mere minutes in the beginning, I skipped a portion to set me somewhat in the middle of its 16 minutes (approx) video clip. After staying there for moments, I quit. If I were about to write a film study dissertation or a book about Coralie Fargeat, I would not have skipped anything. So, that’s why I quit. Said enough for now for this publication, I’m sure.

Before my quick glance at Fargeat with del Toro, I watched Revenge (2017), Fargeat’s film all through. My online viewing of hers then continued onto Reality plus (2014). After that, my current resolution is settled. There will be a definite cease of my commitment for Fargeat. Viewed enough for now, I mean. She is an intellectual filmmaker with complication as non merci, but with socio-perceptible neuro-cerebral flip to be her creative clauses.

FROM HERE, SPOILER ALTER IS EFFECTIVE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NO WISH TO BE INFLUENCED (EVEN SLIGHTLY) BY MY VIEW ON CORALIE FRAGEAT’S WORKS.

(all images below are screenshots I made from YouTube Revenge trailer and that of Reality plus).

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This is Jen (played by Matilda Lutz) in Revenge. Human body to be the cinematic language as you see. Not only body surface and how a body looks, but more importantly what is held inside appears to be Fargeat’s focus. Scenes which make one think of outdoor surgical operations with no painkiller treatments are rampent in Revenge. When cut, skin’s broken. When cut deep, something more may come out from the opening. If very deep and foreign objects are in, the subject must take the objects out asap by oneself when there is no medical convenience around. This inside-out theme of a body could be said as Fargeat’s quasi passion akin to obsession. Unless you wish to be an expert of body cut reminding of evisceration, you close your eyes shut for certain sequences in Revenge or don’t watch the movie at all.

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This is Jen in the beginning, upon the arrival to the site of wilderness by helicopter. The man is Richard, the name of whose wife is Elisabeth, who though never materializes herself in the story but only voice remotely over Richard’s phone. Now, look again at the first image of Jen above. That one is Jen after. This one in cute posture is Jen before. This shot also comes up online at search for Revenge. In the beginning, Jen is a fun girl from L.A., flirting, love to be flirted, fearless and powerful over men with her provocatively contrived innocence, as made in Revenge to begin with. Or, her revenge to set off. In my view, many movies are ultra clever in the part of production. Also, the audience in general love to be fooled, trapped or emotionally moved, or scared or whatever, when a movie is made very well. Being read easy thus be a spoil.

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This is Jen in the very last sequence of Revenge. She becomes a fierce chaser to shoot her predators with her objective in an absolute clearness. This is Jen very after. She is powerful over men, with no fear literally. Though, tensions still rise when she feels bullets’ eye at her. The last sequence (indoor scene) is a maze made with corridors, turns, angles, blind spots, light and shadows, blood, all those backed up with the tv ad for USA shopping as soundtrack on and off. The switch between pray and predator is ubiquitous in Revenge. Here is the same in the last.

Pains cutting into body, pains coming from deep cut, wild nature, magically powerful drug substance, delusional night and organic decay as predictions. Death in Revenge is brough only by an enormous amount of blood loss, destruction of body exterior, partial exposure of internal organs. One must inevitably wonder where Jen’s super natural power is coming from. A sexy cut girl with no knowledge of (francophone) men’s sport is nowhere found in the end. Wild nature could have transformed her into something more. In reality, she turnes into a super girl for a revenge movie.

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Fargeat’s Reality plus (2014) is a short film of 20 minutes (approx). It could be seen properly as a protocol idea of her The Substance (2024), but more on a line of environmentally extendable virtual reality in a near future, via direct cerebral interventions to neuro perceptions, rather than DNA + gland control + stem cell manipulation + showbiz monster in The Substance.

This is Vincent Colombe, protagonist in reality in Reality plus. Colombe also plays Stan in Revenge, onto whom my highest score falls for his actor’s sense and ability covering a range from subtilty to explosive insanity. Here in Reality plus, his pathetic switch failure (or disconnection) from his plus (played by Aurélien Muller) results in a somewhat sweet discovery of love in reality. It’s a short film with no budget grandeur and the story is a genre of cyber reality with no stunning surprise. Vincent Colombe plays his role as small in excellence.

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How would the future unfold when perceptive reality is desired as everyone wishes to have a supermodel looking. 20 minutes are too short to introduce a variety of human affinities not as monotonous. There may not be people who don’t want to look like supermodel. One, there anyway in Reality plus, chooses preferred appearance when signed up and the choice unifies every one to be ready for NY Fashion Week.

However, technology matters. The brain and neuro integration directly from database in Reality plus is much more futuristic than our presently available virtual reality gadgets technology. The concept is also a switch. Figurative perception is a switch between the real one and the real plus whose looks are custom made by the real one.

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I’ve been thinking why Coralie Fargeat is so much on spinal backbone or vertebrae. In The Substance, Sue emerged from the spinal opening of Elizabeth. Physiologically and anatomically correct in its Sci Fi horror setting, I guess. Sue can be said as Elizabeth’s cell copy in an altered version. One step more forward than Reality plus to depart from the current sciences to a radical alter-self. But I wonder what is for making your different version of whatever with no soul, however much such a version is desirable in all biological factors. Spinal or gland, cerebral networks and perceptions for new type of humans, all those must be a techno medical future we may be heading to. But, without Nature’s grace we would be in an imminent danger to live in a switch world with no return.

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Spinal switch bone by Juliette Masch (2/28)