____twoism

The film by Panos Cosmatos. Many of you must have already seen it. It's, no question, in the spirit of Boards of Canada, both thematically —with its uncanny, New Age mysticism infused with a dark twist— and in terms of aesthetics. A telling spawn of BoC's state of mind. Analog camerawork, moody piece. It features a once in a lifetime performance by Michael J. Rogers.

The movie was, to my surprise, very mixedly received at the time (2009) —but Inferno inspired me to a rewatch a fifteen years later and all I can say is that it really holds up. Beautifully scored by experimental (Canadian) musician Sinoia Caves. I deem it an enthralling, albeit disturbing extension of BoC's universe and one Twoism members could potentially enjoy.

I'd endear every BoC fan to give it a shout. It's so authentic and unabashed that I can't help but give a hearty recommendation.

Here's one of my fav scenes:

YES it's one of my favourite films ever and in fact my wallpaper is a still of the Sentionaut from the scene you posted. I find it funny how Cosmatos has only made two films so far and both seem to be different takes on "beware the hippies". I think it really has a lot to do with Inferno thematically and in its general aesthetic.

This is my letterboxd review from when I first watched it last year:

Spoiler: show

When this film was made lot of media with a similar aesthetic was being released: technological, scary, pessimistic, vaguely political and harking back to the 80s. There was Boards of Canada's Tomorrow's Harvest and Daft Punk's Human After All. Analog Horror was taking shape with series and creepypastas like Marble Hornets, No Through Road, Candle Cove or This House Has People In It. It was also the moment of horror film synthwave and creepy vaporwave, like Ramona Xavier's Floral Shoppe, Daniel Lopatin's Eccojams, or Nmesh's Dream Sequins.
That was the time of the Iraq War, followed by the Lehman Brothers crisis and ended by the pandemic. Political prospects haven't stopped worsening. I wonder if this aesthetic was one of the first artistic reactions to the situation.

Great technically. I loved a zoom out through a room, followed by a cut to a character looking at a screen showing the same room, so that it looked like an axial cut.
Amazing soundtrack.

The fusion of new age therapy, actual science, modernistic stylings and psychosexual disturbance reminds me of Cronenberg, particularly The Brood. Another one of the "Canadian films", as the latter director would say.
Was the crossover of new age pseudotherapy and high-tech ever a thing? The closest I can find is Timothy Leary's experiments and transhumanistic ideals, and John C. Lilly of Altered States fame. But what little is shown of Dr Arboria (or of Dr Raglan in The Brood) seems honest: mad scientist, not trendhopping marketeer.

I wish we learnt more about the lore of Arboria, Nyle, Rosemary, Elena's mother... How did Nyle come to control the institute?

The way 60's utopian optimism turns into a cult, ends in tragedy and gives way to 80's reactionary politics plus a world of vigilantes killing feral heshers is reminiscent of the themes that run through Boards of Canada's discography.
Are those heshers a revision of 80's slasher and vigilante tropes or are those played straight?

It's interesting how Nyle is a misogynistic rapist. His new age vision is abusing his former friend's psychic daughter in fetishistic ways. Enlightenment made him a predator on a power trip. Even his cerimonial dagger looks like a dildo.
On that note, they made Margo and Rosemary androgynous. I'd like to know why!
The way the actor playing Nyle makes he look like he can barely contain his aggression is excellently creepy.

The use of out of focus imagery was clever.
The abstract closeups were clever.

Cool graphic design.

Elena is kept from seeing nature. Even Arboria's gardens are a no-go. Then there's a small stretch of wilderness where outcasts lurk and Nyle is killed. Finally, at the other end of the road that crosses the wilderness, going from the gardens to the outside world, there's just suburbia, glowing TVs, action figures and Ronald Reagan. Homes probably as scary and perverted as the institute, family heads as fetishistic and power-hungry as Nyle is.
Dr Arboria watches tapes of "nature" (he laughs after this word).

What if the "operation" scene from Daft Punk's Electroma was disturbing, political, and made into an eventful full-length? That's the vibe.

I thought the fact that the outfit Nyle wears when he turns into a fascistic slasher villain is from a brand called Noriega. As another reviewer pointed out, Manuel Noriega was a USA-sponsored (but then USA-deposed) military dictator and druglord in the 80's. The kind of Reaganite grimness that came after the Arborias of the 60s.

Don't you think those new agers were into darker shit than today's occultists? It's surprising.

Lots of little homages, but still original - the nostalgia is there but this is criticism, not pandering.

Just joking, but didn't Ridley Scott fumble this same thing with Prometeus in 2012? A black goo that brings about a new stage in evolution, cold demiurges with a bald head and no pupils, and elliptical references to a deep lore.

Symbolism: white light, blue light, red light. TVs. Mirrors (I really have to think about that.)

Into the Black Rainbow Vein.

I remember being a bit underwhelmed by it at the time, because I didn't really know what I was getting into, though was mesmerized by the visuals, there's very little to hold on to in terms of narrative. I should re-watch it sometime.