Mandy (5 Stars)

Normally I don't like films that are too dark. In the good old days it was usual for all the scenes in movies to look bright, even if they took place at night. The best example I can think of at the moment is "Singing in the Rain". Even when Gene Kelly was dancing in the streets at night we could clearly see him. We don't question the artificial lighting. At least I don't. When I'm immersed in a film it looks natural to me.

Nowadays films are made to look realistic. If a scene takes place in the dark, the screen is dark. This might be more realistic, but it spoils the enjoyment. Look at the nighttime fights in "Spider-Man: Homecoming". The lack of contrast makes it difficult to see what's happening. That film alone would be an argument for the better lighting of night scenes.

And now "Mandy". The film is dark throughout, with the exception of a few scenes. However, this isn't done for the sake of realism. On the contrary, the dark pictures are given a psychedelic touch by vivid colouring in bizarre monochrome. I've made a few screenshots, but I fear that they won't look good in my blog.

That's the best I can do. I hope these pictures can give you at least a vague impression of the film's brilliant imagery.

The dark images are backed up by the aggressive soundtrack, with sounds that drone from one frame to the next. When I first saw the film in the cinema I was overwhelmed.

There are two pieces of advice I can give for watching this film:

1. Make your room completely dark, so that nothing distracts you from the murky images on the screen.

2. Turn up the volume so loud that all ambient sounds are eliminated.

Success Rate:  - 5.5

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