Mortem (film)

Mortem
Mortem
Directed by	Eric Atlan
Written by	Eric Atlan; Marie-Claude Dazun
Starring	Daria Panchenko; Diana Rudychenko; Stany Coppet; Hortense Gelinet; Sophie Gelinet; Jean-Luc Masson
Production; companies	Rainbow Melodies; Artistic Finances; Capson; Swap; Sylicone; Transpalux
Distributed by	New Distributors Association (France); R-Squared Films (United States and Canada); Digital Media Rights (United States); BigStar.tv (United States)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Mortem is a French experimental film directed by Eric Atlan and first screened at the Oaxaca International Film Festival in 2010 before receiving a limited theatrical release in 2012. Reminiscent of Persona and Mulholland Drive, the film follows a young woman who defies her own death.

Reception

Mortem generally received mixed to negative reviews from critics. The Village Voice stated that "The initial scenes, thick with creep-show ambiance, promise more fulfilling madness than what actually transpires once the out-of-nowhere second guest reveals who she is."^[1] The New York Times compared the film's aesthetic to that of Jean Cocteau, but gave a similarly lukewarm review as The Village Voice, stating that "Most often Mortem just lacks bite, and the dedicated leads seem at times a little slight for the staging of a struggle at eternity's edge."^[2] Time Out New York awarded the film one star out of five and described it as "excruciatingly bad".^[3] Slant Magazine gave the film a largely negative review, opining that the film "too readily abandons its noir framework for the sweeping meta-narrative about desire's link to thanatos, and in so doing, leaves too little room for guesswork."^[4] Film Journal International stated that "This initially bewitching throwback to the French New Wave and Cocteau turns into a turgid and frequently laughable pseudo-philosophical locked-room argument between a woman and her soul."^[5]

References

^ Scherstuhl, Alan (April 24, 2013). "(Hot) Soul Mounts (Hot) Body in Mortem". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2015-06-09. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
^ Rapold, Nicolas (April 25, 2013). "'Mortem,' a Stylistic Visit to Cocteau's Oeuvre – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
^ Rothkopf, Joshua (April 23, 2013). "Mortem: movie review (2012)". Time Out. Archived from the original on 2017-12-02. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
^ Bittencourt, Ela (February 23, 2012). "Film Comment Selects 2012: Mortem". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-03-06. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
^ "Film Review: Mortem". Film Journal International. April 29, 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

External links

Mortem at IMDb
‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Mortem at AllMovie
Mortem at Metacritic
Mortem at Rotten Tomatoes

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[1] Scherstuhl, Alan (April 24, 2013). "(Hot) Soul Mounts (Hot) Body in Mortem". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2015-06-09. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

[2] Rapold, Nicolas (April 25, 2013). "'Mortem,' a Stylistic Visit to Cocteau's Oeuvre – The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

[3] Rothkopf, Joshua (April 23, 2013). "Mortem: movie review (2012)". Time Out. Archived from the original on 2017-12-02. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

[4] Bittencourt, Ela (February 23, 2012). "Film Comment Selects 2012: Mortem". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-03-06. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

[5] "Film Review: Mortem". Film Journal International. April 29, 2013. Archived from the original on 2017-11-27. Retrieved April 19, 2024.

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