Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)

A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

Directors:

Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid (as Alexander Hamid)

Writer:

Maya Deren

Stars:

Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Maya Deren	...	The Woman
Alexander Hammid	...	The Man

Storyline

On her way back home, a solitary woman picks up a frail flower, and then, she drops her key--and when she finally enters her home--exhausted, she falls asleep in a deep and comfortable armchair. However, even in her intimate dreams, an intangible and elusive dark presence blemishes her afternoon nap--she tries to catch it; but, in vain. Now, bizarre but perfect doppelgängers of her physical self materialise in the house, catching a glimpse of a record player playing a never-ending silent tune; a telephone, and a sharp bread knife, as the already confined environment becomes more and more a maze-like purgatory. The knife thirsts for blood; the woman hungers for a way out. Can the undivided mind/matter entity escape consciousness?

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Plot Keywords:

flower | knife | stairs | surrealism | experimental film | 

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Genres:

Short | Fantasy | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

DVD Edited DVD

Country:

USA

Language:

None

Release Date:

1943 (USA)

Also Known As:

Meshes of the Afternoon

Filming Locations:

Maya Deren's house, North Kings Road, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$275 (estimated)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

14 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film was selected to the National Film Registry, Libary of Congress, in 1990.

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Goofs

When The Woman tries to open the supposedly locked door for the first time, it gives way a little (too much).

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Alternate Versions

The original print of Meshes was completely silent (w/o music). Teiji Ito's score was added to a sound reprint in the 1950's.

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Connections

References Metropolis (1927)

User Reviews

Amalgam of Traditional Narrative and Surrealism

While the opening sequence of a woman following a faceless figure with a flower is persistently repeated, images of key and knife intensify their vividness, and then dream and reality permeate into each other's realms. Maya Deren's first and probably best film, Meshes of the Afternoon, is an amalgam of traditional narrative and European-imported surrealism. It is also one of many triumphs in the film history that fearlessness and youthfulness conquer the lack of expenses and experiences.