(La morte vivante)
Directed by Jean Rollin
91 minutes
In French with English subtitles

Although French director Jean Rollin made ridiculously low-budget horror films, they always had an uncanny quality that was unlike any other movie ever made. Rather than scary, they were haunting and had a deep melancholic mood about them. They focused on female characters caught up in surreal worlds, and often had lesbian-vampire undertones (or overtones). They dealt with unusual themes, like memory, lost childhoods, and a yearning for parallel worlds. The reason why he is so little known is that there was no pre-made target audience for his cinema... he was totally outside the box, in his own no-man's land,  so he never fit into the marketplace.

Because the producers demanded it, Rollin's movies start off with a stereotypical 'horror film' set-up, but once that is established, he transports us into other demi-worlds, dreamy, half-remembered landscapes. The story of this one is about a dead woman who is brought to life, and wanders through the modern world in a void, looking for some kind of connection. She is especially following a vague memory of her childhood sweetheart Hélène, which seems to be the only thing lingering in her from her previous life. She is forced to slowly realize the monster she has become, a fate she never chose for. There is an incredible tenderness in this flick, between all the bloodshed. Some have called it an "erotic vampire tale"... and  indeed it has a strong sexual drive. In fact, this flick is a bit like having sex, but as one is climaxing, instead of an orgasm, one is overcome by a rush of otherworldliness. And as this description should make clear, it has strong lesbian undercurrents.

I guess it shouldn't be surprising that at one point early in his career Rollin worked on a project with novelist Marguerite Duras, since they both shared a common interest in exploring uncharted in-between worlds.

This will be a high-definition screening.