"Pate" is one of those all-too-rare short films that creates a startling and unique world onto itself. It doesn't try to mimic other films, or make futile gestures to imitate formuliac Hollywood plots and narrative structures. Instead, the post-apocalyptic spirit of Agnieszka's short film is closer to playwrights Eugene Ionosco and Samuel Beckett's theatre of the absurd and the dystopian wastelands envisioned by such writers William S. Burroughs and J.G. Ballard than the cinema's usual science fiction and doomsday dramas.
Although the storyline unfolding throughout this beautifully designed piece is doused in a nightmarish glow, it isn't without humor. The filmmaker creates images that reside in the gap between dark comedy and garish tragedy that could only be born out of the 20th century and its many discontents.
I can honestly say that "Pate" is one of the more unique short films that I have seen. As a fellow artist, it is inspiring to see a kindred spirit who delights in running against the grain of our collective expectations, in order to find something fresh, striking and new. In "Pate," art, surprises, dreams and nightmares find a curious, new place to call home. And adventurous viewers are invited to come inside for a close and personal tour. Enjoy. ---- Neil Kendricks
Although the storyline unfolding throughout this beautifully designed piece is doused in a nightmarish glow, it isn't without humor. The filmmaker creates images that reside in the gap between dark comedy and garish tragedy that could only be born out of the 20th century and its many discontents.
I can honestly say that "Pate" is one of the more unique short films that I have seen. As a fellow artist, it is inspiring to see a kindred spirit who delights in running against the grain of our collective expectations, in order to find something fresh, striking and new. In "Pate," art, surprises, dreams and nightmares find a curious, new place to call home. And adventurous viewers are invited to come inside for a close and personal tour. Enjoy. ---- Neil Kendricks