Let the Corpses Tan [2018]: ‘BUFF’ Capsule Review
Cattet and Forzani’s adaptation of the pulp novel is a sensory assault. A long and highly stylized shootout sequence set in a single location. It’s an acid trip. An orgy of bold images. The images of bodies, sweaty bodies, glittering naked bodies, skull, holes in the skull, blood, blood splattered over the gold. The imagery of this film is so powerful that the lack of narrative doesn’t hinder. The sounds of gunshots and leather creaking will reverberate in your mind long after you’ve seen the film. It also features the best use of Christophe’s theme ’Sunny Road to Salina’ since Kill Bill vol. 2. Let the Corpses Tan draws its influence from old Spaghetti Westerns, but the unique editing technique, that involves a lot of fast cuts, zooms, and inserts, makes it a psychedelic experience akin to George Miller’s Fury Road.
The narrative seems too thin to sustain a feature-length film and at times it is too incoherent to follow. The film starts with a woman shooting bullets at a painting, or rather a bunch of colors spilled over the canvas. She is disappointed by the symmetry in three holes. That, for me, sums up the film. An abstract work of art full of holes. Its vividness is almost blinding but if you look through the holes, there is something to admire. Although the film is about a bunch of guys shooting at each other, the action never feels tiring as it is brilliantly infused with dream sequences. Here, the style is not something that supplements the story, style is the story, and visuals are the narrative.
★★★½
‘LET THE CORPSES TAN’ PREMIERED AT THE 2018 BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL.
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DIRECTOR & SCREENWRITER: Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani.
CAST: Elina Löwensohn, Stéphane Ferrara, Bernie Bonvoisin, Michelangelo Marchese, Marc Barbé.
Cinematography: Manuel Dacosse.
PRODUCERS: François Cognard, Eve Commenge.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: David Claikens, Doug Headline, Philippe Logie, Alex Verbaere.
COUNTRY: France | Belgium.
RUNTIME: 90 MIN.
LANGUAGE: FRENCH.
