Cloud Atlas more tightly interweaves the six narratives from its source along rising and falling action instead of a relatively flat 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 4 3 2 1, but the protraction of each beat to repeat over matching actions can still make it feel topheavy. The fact that the three directors held the whole production together and the editing flows smoothly is admirable regardless.

–DB

Begotten (1990)

This experimental feature has gained some cult status from reuse of its imagery in Shadow of the Vampire and Marylin Manson videos. Unfortunately it’s one of those ‘films’ that should be seen on film, as the optical-printer post-production effects are based on the emulsion medium itself. Anyway, think a visceral and gory Kenneth Anger: Merhige is a religious relationship to cinema and this is his genesis story.

Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

This movie is one of those loving homages that feels like Merhige wants to own the original as his own child; nevertheless the casting wins it over with Malkovich portraying Murnau as a sacrificial high priest of cinema and Defoe as an antsy, irritated aging vampire both camera shy and obsessed with the lead actress. It’s not a very chilling movie but quietly crazy.

Suspect Zero (2004)

The script obviously was written to ride off of Se7en’s audience, but Merhige can’t help taking the paranormal investigator aspect seriously; playing off of the popular conspiracy theory about psychic CIA operatives, the movie extends it to the FBI. Merhige elevates the script with some interesting headache and psychic input abstract montages but not much saves this generic thriller from itself.

Final Word: Merhige believes cinema replaces literature and has a deep but dark spiritual affiliation with it, which results in interesting imagery and quietly mad narratives but doesn’t give him much room to play in the mainstream and doesn’t always pan out to a novel elevation of the form.

–DB