Search - Aftermath/Genesis on DVD

Descanting the Insalubrious

Matthew King | Toronto, Canada | 09/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Courtesy of Unearthed films, this DVD is a complete and essential package for those wanting to explore the works of Spanish cult director Nacho Cerda. We get all 3 of his short films and a boatload of extras to boot. But before you read any further, I will issue a warning. If the sight of blood makes you the least bit queasy, do not view ?Aftermath?. If you see yourself as some sort of hot-shot horror aficionado because ?I dig gory films such as Dawn of the Dead and Evil Dead? then stay far away from this, because you won?t be prepared for what?s about to unfold on your screen. Why would I go out of my way to watch something like this? Well for two major reasons 1) I?m a hardcore horror fanatic whose always looking for something to push my boundaries and 2) because these films are a prime example of DIY filmmaking, beautifully made despite a micro-budget and by a director who refuses to compromise his style and vision for the hope of commercial success.

THE AWAKENING (B&W, 1990): A bored, underachieving student doses off in class and when he awakens he finds everything to be frozen in place as if time stood still. Cerda?s twilight zone-ish debut film, this is rudimentary filmmaking at best, made with no budget when Cerda was a film student at USC. Despite the zero budget, The Awakening does keep us intrigued during the length of its scant 5-minute run time. This short explores the first step in the process of dying ? actual physical death, and should be viewed first to appreciate Cerda?s evolution as a maker of short, silent films.

AFTERMATH (Colour, 1994): This 30-minute short is one of the most brutal, graphic and uncompromising things ever put to celluloid. Still, it should not be viewed simply as exploitation, this is actually a well-filmed and artsy piece of work. The transfer is beautiful and the picture crystal-clear, free of the grain that plagued the original video format.

Aftermath explores the second step in the process of death: What happens to the body after death. Plot: In an autopsy room, two coroners carry on their grisly deeds which are gory but at this point nothing seems inherently wrong. Until one of the two coroners is left alone with the body of a beautiful female, then things get really wild. By now he?s no longer just doing a job, emotions have taken over and we watch his descent into madness as the corpse is raped, the private parts stabbed along with other unpleasantries that I refuse to go into in further detail.

Aftermath is utterly difficult watch. The graphic nature of the barbaric acts is the main reason of course, but also because of the de-facto way in which things are presented to us; these scenes of necrophilia are not fetishized a la Jorg Buttgereit?s Nekromantik films, instead they are presented to us as the horrible, unpleasant and sick practice that it really is. You will not be turned on in any way sexually by watching this one, I can guarantee you that. As much as Cerda might try to put some sort of philosophical spin on it, Aftermath has no point whatsoever aside from wanting to shock and revolt. Still, it?s essential genre viewing for gorehounds and because, well, something like this has never quite been done before has it?

GENESIS (Colour, 1998): Genesis premiered at Montreal?s Fantasia film festival to scores of applause even though the end result is different than what most people were likely expecting from a Nacho Cerda film.

Plot: A sculptor loses his wife in a tragic car accident. He then sculpts a statue of her, which eventually begins to bleed from a wound in its chest. In a desperate bid to give her back life, the sculptor begins to open wounds on his own body in an attempt to offer his life for hers. As the sculpture begins to gain life, the artist slowly begins to lose his.

Genesis is free of graphic grotesqueries and its fantasy theme of a statue coming to life is in stark contrast to the brutal realism of Aftermath but still Genesis is not quite the radical departure from his other work that others might think it is. This is unquestionably the director?s unique stamp and style. It also makes for a perfect companion piece to Aftermath as it explores the 3rd stage of death, which is what happens to the survivor after a loved one dies. Beautiful and haunting, Genesis is another film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

The special features are among some of the best I?ve ever seen. This one?s packed to the rafters with goodies such as a director commentary track for all 3 films where Cerda explains in fluent English how the films came to be made. We also get a 20-minute film on ?The making of Aftermath?, trailers, storyboards, production stills and best of all, a 10-minute dual interview with Nacho Cerda and German madman Jorg Buttgereitt of Nekromantik fame.
"

Some say we're born into the grave

C. Christopher Blackshere | I am the devil's reject | 11/24/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The subject of death is rarely exposed or investigated with any sort of tangible certainty. Possibly in an effort to diminish its ominous threat, the topic is often ignored. Or sometimes it is romanticized, with fabrications of some angelic getaway just waiting for us. But, in reality, it is a looming question mark that has no definite answers.
Nacho Cerda is a courageous director that doesn't back down from these notions. This release actually has three short movies

~Awakening--This is only like 7 minutes long, and it deals almost entirely with spirituality. It is beautifully shot with kind of a twilight zone feel.

~Aftermath--It deals with the physicality of death. It is extremely grotesque, plus the special effects are incredibly realistic as some cadavers get sliced up and some...uh,...sick stuff happens. Really sick.

~Genesis--This final one deals with the emptiness that is left behind after a lover passes away. This guy has some issues letting go.

Total running time is about an hour and a half. They are all superbly shot in a very artistic manner. You might not always be delighted by this artistic expression. They contain no dialogue, just stark, black and white images that will supplant all your expectations. Get ready to barf, another super-sick recommendation I got from M."

Death Trilogy

Sir Jub-Jub | Sir Jub-Jub's Lair, Alaska | 08/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD consists of three short films by Nacho Cerda. Each concerns a death theme and are best viewed in order. "The Awakening" is a very short black and white student film the director made early in his career. It basically illustrates the moments one experiences at the time of death. The print used shows a little wear and tear but not enough to really distract from the viewing experience. The second and most sought after is "Aftermath". This film is notorious for its lengthy sequence concerning a female corpse and the morgue worker who is really into his job. Well done camera work, interesting visuals throughout and a seriously creepy feel make this the best of the three if you can handle the subject matter. It is extremely graphic. The third film is "Genesis" and it concerns a man grieving over the loss of his wife. He spends most of his time creating a life-like sculpture of her and soon realizes that there is more to this work of art than just clay. "Genesis" is easily the least of the three films and reminds me more of Asian films like "Tetsuo". The DVD has many extras, most notably, commentary by the director and an interview with Jorg Buttgereit of "Nekromantik" fame. I would think that anyone who is into Jorg's films would certainly like this, for everyone else, if you are able to handle the extreme taboos of "Aftermath" give it a shot."

Worth it for "Aftermath," a truly disgusting and horrifying

Jose Jones | 09/16/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Of the three short films here, I only enjoyed "Aftermath." "The Awakening" is a shoestring student film, and "Genesis," while beautifully shot, bored me.

"Aftermath," however, which explores that taboo subject of necrophilia, is a seriously depraved short film. A demented coroner indulges in his fetish with a recently-arrived corpse, and his violent sexual urges build to a frenzy (the scene is both gory and sad, since Cerda focuses on the poor woman's face, highlighting the utter violation of the act).

The ending doesn't quite fit -- and though they get most of the autopsy procedures right, there are a few mistakes (I don't know how they do it in Spain, but in America you don't make the Y incision with a butcher knife!) -- but this is a must for the extreme horror crowd, and it's probably one of the few films you'll see that will make you want to vomit and cry at the same time."