Halls of the Dark Muse

I have just finished watching a very unique and to say the least bazaar film called Glass Lips, now this movie is not for everyone, it is something of an acquired taste. It does "make sense" nor truly have to, at least not in terms of the way we think of most movies. That is it does not have a cohesive and clear plot, or really follow a storyline, with a beginning, middle and end. It is an abstract and surreal film that is full of symbolic and metaphoric meaning, though even I will not be pompous enough to claim I truly understand all of what was being conveyed within the film, though I think I did pick up on some concepts and ideas, at least my interpretations.

The film was a work of true artistry, in many ways it felt like visual poetry. Whoever made the film (cannot recall the name off the top of my head now) had truly an artists eye. There was a genius and strongly effective use of color, contrast, space, negative space, angles, perspective, which gave the feeling that every single shot held strong symbolic meaning and was a metaphor for something. It really made you want to start looking for clues and trying to make connections and puzzle it out to understand.

One of the other things I really appreciated about the film was the fact that throughout there was no dialogue, narration, or speaking, but there was a very creative use of sound effects, as with the visual imagery of the movie, the sound effects gave the impression of intention, and of some meaning being held behind each sound.

Religious symbolism and meaning was strewn throughout the movie and done very overtly and blatantly as it was clear to be one of the intended focal points which permeated throughout the film. The "main character" for lack of a better word was portrayed as being a Christ-Figure, almost something of a modern Christ, but the main focus of the movie seemed to be upon his mother (there was the suggestion of some Oedipal complex within) who was very strongly portrayed as a Virgin Marry figure, though one of the concepts that seemed to come up often was this idea of the old Virgin and Whore concept, making the two roles simultaneous with each other, as it seemed the mother figure was in fact both the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene which is part of what drove the sons relationship with his mother, as seeming to waver between child and lover.

Veneration and worship of woman seemed to play a strong role throughout the film as well, and by the end of it, it gave a strong Cult of the Virgin feeling to it, while at the same time, this reverence for women was tied in with sensuality and sexuality. Ideas of juxtaposing purity with carnality played throughout the film, and contrasts and contradictions in general seemed to be quite frequent.

Adding to the surreal effect of the movie the lines between Dreams/Visions and reality seemed to be blurred if not completely non-existent so one could not decipher what was "real" and what was illusion, or if indeed they truly were one in the same.

There is a lot within the film that I think can only be understood through each individuals personal interpretation, much like a visual work of art, while whoever made the film had no doubt their own personal vision and intention, the way in which it is constructed I think invites the viewer to personal interpretation.