BegottenCreation is inexorably tied to destruction, and when there is life, there is also death. Begotten is an experimental horror movie by E. Elias Merhige. There is no dialogue, and the audio is predominantly comprised of the sounds of nature, punctuated periodically by wet slapping sounds, faint moaning, or an eerily quiet, dirge-like melody. What few "characters" the movie has are credited as "God Killing Himself" (Brian Salzberg), "Mother Earth" (Donna Dempsey), and "Son of Earth - Flesh on Bone" (Stephen Charles Barry); several "nomads" in the film are uncredited. And what Begotten offers us as a narrative--in the loosest sense of the word--is by way of a graphic display of violence and torment, a nightmare captured on film.
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Begotten is primarily known through reputation. It is an "art" film in the purest sense, although it was originally conceived as a theater piece by Merhige, and it is said that he took the idea of it from a near-death experience. (And, apparently, Marilyn Manson liked it so much, that they had Merhige do a couple of their music videos.) Some of this might be apocryphal, because the film is so enigmatic, and people have a tendency to apply meaning to the mysterious. The movie is haunting, disturbing, like something "cursed". Because of trouble that Merhige had in finding distribution, its reputation was largely fueled by word of mouth and semi-obscure literature; I discovered it courtesy of a "weird movie list" on Letterboxd, and was only able to watch it on YouTube thanks to a generous uploader. In fact, because the original VHS release is long out of print--and the movie has had no contemporary media rerelease--this is just about the only way that one can see this movie, if you are so inclined to seek it out. There is something a touch arrogant about some people's attitudes that seeing this movie invites you into a kind of "secret society" of film buffs in the know. Regardless, it is ultimately best to judge Begotten based on your own experience with it. Interpretations and analyses have abounded concerning just what the movie is about. Many point to it being about creation myths, which certainly makes sense, but only after you get to the end credits to see how some of the characters are credited. Suppose that there were no credits; would those interpretations be so common? There is no religious iconography; even the highly visceral opening scene takes place in a rundown shack with no meaningful ornamentation--there is just a figure in a chair with a straight razor.
For me, one of the things I got out of watching Begotten was just how effectively it challenged the idea of what a "movie" is supposed to be. Is it "entertainment"? Well, given the severely violent content--even if it is in black and white--Begotten certainly wouldn't fit that criteria. It is, however, a challenging film, especially with respect to the violence and the uncomfortable imagery. So is it designed to "test" its audience with displays of carnage and the grotesque? Maybe, but what of the (mostly) soothing audio in the film? Honestly, I watched this at midnight during a rainstorm, and I felt eerily calmed by the sound, even if not by the the visuals. From a technical standpoint, there is something compelling about the excessively grainy cinematography, which adds to the sinister aesthetic, as though it were some malevolent footage à la The Ring, which may very well have been inspired by Begotten. On that note, this film has been reported to have inspired other filmmakers, including Panos Cosmatos's Beyond the Black Rainbow; others have suggested that the experimental films of Guy Maddin have been as well. Like with any art, the look and feel of the work has as much (if not more) to do with the audience's experience. Most movies are understandably wrapped around a cohesive narrative; Begotten is not. Many scenes deliberately run long and the content is not framed in a traditional way. Sometimes it can be difficult to even tell just what is happening on the screen. Take for instance the opening scene with "God" and the razor. To me, it kind of looks like he is trying to slice off some bit of flesh from his body...but it's so dark and grainy that even this might not be what every viewer will se. Merhige exploits the black and white cinematography to force the viewer's eye toward the bloodiness, but even then the question remains: just what is really happening in that moment? Is whatever that thing attached to the actor who plays "God" some kind of face mask, or is it meant to look like "God" has some kind of distended jaw? Again, much of the viewer's experience with Begotten comes down to how we process the film in our own mind. This means that each person's experience with Begotten is unique, and subsequently speaks to the imagination and inner thoughts of the viewer...dark thoughts which can be terrifying indeed.
Recommended for: Fans of a highly unorthodox experimental horror movie that unnerves and disgusts, but is also paradoxically hypnotic. Begotten is the kind of movie that would find a home on permanent display in a modern art museum, but is worth exploring for daring audiences who are interested in unconventional filmmaking and its psychological effects on its viewers.
For me, one of the things I got out of watching Begotten was just how effectively it challenged the idea of what a "movie" is supposed to be. Is it "entertainment"? Well, given the severely violent content--even if it is in black and white--Begotten certainly wouldn't fit that criteria. It is, however, a challenging film, especially with respect to the violence and the uncomfortable imagery. So is it designed to "test" its audience with displays of carnage and the grotesque? Maybe, but what of the (mostly) soothing audio in the film? Honestly, I watched this at midnight during a rainstorm, and I felt eerily calmed by the sound, even if not by the the visuals. From a technical standpoint, there is something compelling about the excessively grainy cinematography, which adds to the sinister aesthetic, as though it were some malevolent footage à la The Ring, which may very well have been inspired by Begotten. On that note, this film has been reported to have inspired other filmmakers, including Panos Cosmatos's Beyond the Black Rainbow; others have suggested that the experimental films of Guy Maddin have been as well. Like with any art, the look and feel of the work has as much (if not more) to do with the audience's experience. Most movies are understandably wrapped around a cohesive narrative; Begotten is not. Many scenes deliberately run long and the content is not framed in a traditional way. Sometimes it can be difficult to even tell just what is happening on the screen. Take for instance the opening scene with "God" and the razor. To me, it kind of looks like he is trying to slice off some bit of flesh from his body...but it's so dark and grainy that even this might not be what every viewer will se. Merhige exploits the black and white cinematography to force the viewer's eye toward the bloodiness, but even then the question remains: just what is really happening in that moment? Is whatever that thing attached to the actor who plays "God" some kind of face mask, or is it meant to look like "God" has some kind of distended jaw? Again, much of the viewer's experience with Begotten comes down to how we process the film in our own mind. This means that each person's experience with Begotten is unique, and subsequently speaks to the imagination and inner thoughts of the viewer...dark thoughts which can be terrifying indeed.
Recommended for: Fans of a highly unorthodox experimental horror movie that unnerves and disgusts, but is also paradoxically hypnotic. Begotten is the kind of movie that would find a home on permanent display in a modern art museum, but is worth exploring for daring audiences who are interested in unconventional filmmaking and its psychological effects on its viewers.