Hello friends
I continue to think about 'Saw.' I couldn't figure out what was bothering me. Then I remembered my favourite film maker, Nacho Cerda. How could I forget him on my profile? The evil he causes when watching his work! 'Aftermath' always produces a bad rush though the veins. Terror as fraudulent temptation and indulgent pleasures abound. That is what was missing from Saw. My thoughts made me pull out Aftermath and watch again.
Friends- if you haven't seen it...
Aftermath
Director: Nacho Cerda
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Waken Productions
Released: 1994
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Cast: Pep Tosar
Corpse-Fucking Art: Nacho Cerda's Aftermath
A Review by Mike Bracken
07/18/2001
If you were to ask the average horror or exploitation fan to name at least one film dealing with the touchy and taboo subject of necrophilia, invariably youd get one of two responsesJorg Buttgereits Nekromantik films, or the super-lame and arty Kissed. And though both of these technically deal with necrophilia, neither has anything over Nacho Cerdas powerfully disturbing 1994 short, Aftermath.
Cerda wrote, directed, and produced this 30-minute exercise in extreme visceral horror. He ultimately intended for it to be part of a much larger film (one that was to run for over 2 hours).
Unfortunately, financial problems necessitated cutting down the filmsomething that may have actually worked to Aftermaths advantage: Few audience members could have withstood the 120-plus minutes of visual assault that Cerda had planned.
So, instead of a longer meditation on the sexual deviancy known as necrophilia, Cerda hits us with a fast-paced vignettealbeit one that packs quite a wallop, from the opening shot (perfectly complemented by Mozart's famous Requiem) right through to the end credits.
Pep Tosar plays the lead character, a mortician working in what appears to be a local hospital. We watch as he goes about his duty, hid away from us behind his blue surgical scrubs and a mask that covers roughly half his face.
His "patients" are splayed out on the table before him, and we watch as he performs some incredibly realistic autopsies. Clothes are cut off with little regard; Y-cut incisions are made in the chest; organs are removed, weighed, and catalogued; and the cranial cavity is emptied.
Theres a clinical sense of detachment to these eventsone that stands in stark contrast to the intimacy that is to come. Tosar is unfazed by the blood, the gore, the nudityhes merely a man doing a job.
However, once finished with his work on the male cadavers, he discovers the battered, bloody, and ultimately dead body of Marta. I wont lie to youtheres nothing pretty about Marta in death. Yet, Tosar seems almost powerless in her presence. After checking to make sure he wont be disturbed, he cuts her clothes off and begins slowly caressing her with a surgical blade.
Theres an air of ritual or fetish in these first movementsTosar swirls the blade around her nipples, slides it casually down her sternum and over her stomach, and repeats the motion.
Soon, though, things become more intensethe blade draws blood. From here, it gets really wildTosar rapes the corpse vaginally with the scalpel, slamming it home while grunting in an animalistic fashion.
Its intense and savage and violentand even though Marta cant feel a thing, the viewer may feel a twinge of sorrow that she must endure this final defilement.
Cerda doesnt stop there, though. Before long, Tosars masturbating furiously to his handiwork. After that, hes photographing it. Then, hes photographing himself atop the corpse, forcing himself into the butchered vaginal cavity. Once finished, he takes one last piece of Marta, an internal organ that appears to be her heart.
We finish Aftermath watching Tosars character at home, his dog eating the pureed remains of the organ. Ill leave the potential ramifications of the scene's meaning to you, to figure out on your own.
Aftermath is certainly not for the easily disturbed or weak of stomach. But though its subject matter and level of graphic displays are disturbing, its also one of the most beautiful films Ive seen in some time.
Cerda and cinematographer Christopher Baffa have created a visually arresting film that succeeds not just because of the on-screen gore, but also because of the assured camera movements, the interesting use of color, and the decision to use 35-millimeter film (as opposed to something cheaper).
It becomes readily apparent early on that Cerda isnt your average exploitation hack looking to make a name for himself solely by titillating his audience. Cerda and Baffas decisions concerning how to shoot each scene have far more in common with the stylistic excesses of Dario Argento than the more straightforward exploitative work of someone like Umberto Lenzi.
Theres clearly an aesthetic at work here, and the camera prowls along ominously in some scenes, performs the requisite Fulci-style zooms on gore effects in others, and sits distant and motionless in a few as well. Each camera movement seems carefully considered, and designed to add something to the scene in question.
Aftermath, like Tosar, is bathed mostly in ethereal blues that seem designed both to create an oddly relaxing atmosphere and to contrast completely with the blood and gore.
The choice of color creates a visual and emotional dichotomythe blue is serene, yet theres nothing serene going on in the blue room. At the very least, this is designed to place an unsettling and conflicting set of emotions in the viewerone that gnaws at the subconscious just as likely as the gore work gnaws at your stomach.
Finally, the decision to use 35-millimeter film stock (instead of the much more affordable 8- or 16-millimeter that the Nekromantik films utilized) works in Aftermaths favor as well. The choice here gives Cerdas film a much more polished and professional look overallsomething that the Nekromantik films were clearly missing.
The visuals and direction are superb, but many folks will grab Aftermath looking for some solid gore and a disturbing storyand Im happy to report that it gets high marks on both counts.
The story itself is far more graphic (and, lets face it, interesting) than either of Buttgereits pretentious films on the same subject. Cerda doesnt beat around the bush-he promises necrophilia, and he deliversand he doesnt film it with a soft-focus, blurry lens, either.
The gore work was done by an FX group called DDT, and its very impressive stuff. The cadavers look quite real; so does the dissected dog shown in the very early part of the credits.
This is some of the best gore work Ive seen since catching two episodes of the popular Japanese Guinea Pig series, "Flower of Flesh and Blood," and "Mermaid in a Manhole," a few years back. If youre squeamish or easily put off by graphic imagery, be sure to give Aftermath a wide berth.
This review wouldnt be complete without mentioning the brilliant performance from Tosar. The actor has the very difficult task of spending most of the film dressed in surgical scrubs, with half of his face obscured by a mask. This forces him to act mainly with his body posture and his eyesa difficult undertaking for any actor.
Making matters even more complicated: Aftermath doesnt feature a single line of dialoguea few grunts and moans, but nothing in the way of spoken words. Tosar does an admirable job in such a limited role, thoughI was both fearful of him and fascinated by him for the entire film.
Neither Tosar nor Cerda ever gives us concrete answers about the character's motivationsthis never allows us to formulate any kind of opinion about what drives him.
Overall, Aftermath has a very limited audience. Its graphic take on some very upsetting subject matter is sure to offend just about everyone. And yet, its surprisingly well-made.
Simply put, Aftermath has taken necrophilia to the level of artformI can only look forward to whatever new strange delights Nacho Cerda has in store for us in the future. Aftermath gets 5 stars from me.
E1
I continue to think about 'Saw.' I couldn't figure out what was bothering me. Then I remembered my favourite film maker, Nacho Cerda. How could I forget him on my profile? The evil he causes when watching his work! 'Aftermath' always produces a bad rush though the veins. Terror as fraudulent temptation and indulgent pleasures abound. That is what was missing from Saw. My thoughts made me pull out Aftermath and watch again.
Friends- if you haven't seen it...
Aftermath
Director: Nacho Cerda
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Waken Productions
Released: 1994
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Cast: Pep Tosar
Corpse-Fucking Art: Nacho Cerda's Aftermath
A Review by Mike Bracken
07/18/2001
If you were to ask the average horror or exploitation fan to name at least one film dealing with the touchy and taboo subject of necrophilia, invariably youd get one of two responsesJorg Buttgereits Nekromantik films, or the super-lame and arty Kissed. And though both of these technically deal with necrophilia, neither has anything over Nacho Cerdas powerfully disturbing 1994 short, Aftermath.
Cerda wrote, directed, and produced this 30-minute exercise in extreme visceral horror. He ultimately intended for it to be part of a much larger film (one that was to run for over 2 hours).
Unfortunately, financial problems necessitated cutting down the filmsomething that may have actually worked to Aftermaths advantage: Few audience members could have withstood the 120-plus minutes of visual assault that Cerda had planned.
So, instead of a longer meditation on the sexual deviancy known as necrophilia, Cerda hits us with a fast-paced vignettealbeit one that packs quite a wallop, from the opening shot (perfectly complemented by Mozart's famous Requiem) right through to the end credits.
Pep Tosar plays the lead character, a mortician working in what appears to be a local hospital. We watch as he goes about his duty, hid away from us behind his blue surgical scrubs and a mask that covers roughly half his face.
His "patients" are splayed out on the table before him, and we watch as he performs some incredibly realistic autopsies. Clothes are cut off with little regard; Y-cut incisions are made in the chest; organs are removed, weighed, and catalogued; and the cranial cavity is emptied.
Theres a clinical sense of detachment to these eventsone that stands in stark contrast to the intimacy that is to come. Tosar is unfazed by the blood, the gore, the nudityhes merely a man doing a job.
However, once finished with his work on the male cadavers, he discovers the battered, bloody, and ultimately dead body of Marta. I wont lie to youtheres nothing pretty about Marta in death. Yet, Tosar seems almost powerless in her presence. After checking to make sure he wont be disturbed, he cuts her clothes off and begins slowly caressing her with a surgical blade.
Theres an air of ritual or fetish in these first movementsTosar swirls the blade around her nipples, slides it casually down her sternum and over her stomach, and repeats the motion.
Soon, though, things become more intensethe blade draws blood. From here, it gets really wildTosar rapes the corpse vaginally with the scalpel, slamming it home while grunting in an animalistic fashion.
Its intense and savage and violentand even though Marta cant feel a thing, the viewer may feel a twinge of sorrow that she must endure this final defilement.
Cerda doesnt stop there, though. Before long, Tosars masturbating furiously to his handiwork. After that, hes photographing it. Then, hes photographing himself atop the corpse, forcing himself into the butchered vaginal cavity. Once finished, he takes one last piece of Marta, an internal organ that appears to be her heart.
We finish Aftermath watching Tosars character at home, his dog eating the pureed remains of the organ. Ill leave the potential ramifications of the scene's meaning to you, to figure out on your own.
Aftermath is certainly not for the easily disturbed or weak of stomach. But though its subject matter and level of graphic displays are disturbing, its also one of the most beautiful films Ive seen in some time.
Cerda and cinematographer Christopher Baffa have created a visually arresting film that succeeds not just because of the on-screen gore, but also because of the assured camera movements, the interesting use of color, and the decision to use 35-millimeter film (as opposed to something cheaper).
It becomes readily apparent early on that Cerda isnt your average exploitation hack looking to make a name for himself solely by titillating his audience. Cerda and Baffas decisions concerning how to shoot each scene have far more in common with the stylistic excesses of Dario Argento than the more straightforward exploitative work of someone like Umberto Lenzi.
Theres clearly an aesthetic at work here, and the camera prowls along ominously in some scenes, performs the requisite Fulci-style zooms on gore effects in others, and sits distant and motionless in a few as well. Each camera movement seems carefully considered, and designed to add something to the scene in question.
Aftermath, like Tosar, is bathed mostly in ethereal blues that seem designed both to create an oddly relaxing atmosphere and to contrast completely with the blood and gore.
The choice of color creates a visual and emotional dichotomythe blue is serene, yet theres nothing serene going on in the blue room. At the very least, this is designed to place an unsettling and conflicting set of emotions in the viewerone that gnaws at the subconscious just as likely as the gore work gnaws at your stomach.
Finally, the decision to use 35-millimeter film stock (instead of the much more affordable 8- or 16-millimeter that the Nekromantik films utilized) works in Aftermaths favor as well. The choice here gives Cerdas film a much more polished and professional look overallsomething that the Nekromantik films were clearly missing.
The visuals and direction are superb, but many folks will grab Aftermath looking for some solid gore and a disturbing storyand Im happy to report that it gets high marks on both counts.
The story itself is far more graphic (and, lets face it, interesting) than either of Buttgereits pretentious films on the same subject. Cerda doesnt beat around the bush-he promises necrophilia, and he deliversand he doesnt film it with a soft-focus, blurry lens, either.
The gore work was done by an FX group called DDT, and its very impressive stuff. The cadavers look quite real; so does the dissected dog shown in the very early part of the credits.
This is some of the best gore work Ive seen since catching two episodes of the popular Japanese Guinea Pig series, "Flower of Flesh and Blood," and "Mermaid in a Manhole," a few years back. If youre squeamish or easily put off by graphic imagery, be sure to give Aftermath a wide berth.
This review wouldnt be complete without mentioning the brilliant performance from Tosar. The actor has the very difficult task of spending most of the film dressed in surgical scrubs, with half of his face obscured by a mask. This forces him to act mainly with his body posture and his eyesa difficult undertaking for any actor.
Making matters even more complicated: Aftermath doesnt feature a single line of dialoguea few grunts and moans, but nothing in the way of spoken words. Tosar does an admirable job in such a limited role, thoughI was both fearful of him and fascinated by him for the entire film.
Neither Tosar nor Cerda ever gives us concrete answers about the character's motivationsthis never allows us to formulate any kind of opinion about what drives him.
Overall, Aftermath has a very limited audience. Its graphic take on some very upsetting subject matter is sure to offend just about everyone. And yet, its surprisingly well-made.
Simply put, Aftermath has taken necrophilia to the level of artformI can only look forward to whatever new strange delights Nacho Cerda has in store for us in the future. Aftermath gets 5 stars from me.
E1
VIEW 3 of 3 COMMENTS
That homeless guy thing was sooo disgusting and all I could think about was all the airborne germs he was responsible for making me inhale...gross...I was was worried that he was going to poke me with a dirty needle or something...I threw away the clothes I was wearing when I got home...
hope you're doing well, lovey...