On 'Meshes of the Afternoon'
Uncanny, surreal, and poetic, Meshes of the Afternoon is an experimental short film that weaves together our emotional experiences, the dreamscape, the conscious, and the unconscious to create a memorable masterpiece years beyond its time.
Directed by and starring Maya Deren in 1943, the 14-minute, black-and-white film takes us through a spiralling, entangling, nightmarish narrative that once finished will make you stop and stare at your screen whilst the credits roll.
Symbolism is present — a flower, a key, a mirror-faced cloaked figure, a slender hand, a knife, the ocean, a murderess… all this is effortlessly incorporated with recurring scenes, slow motion, striking editing, beautiful cinematography, and an intriguing soundtrack. It truly is a gem in avant-garde cinema.
All I have to say is that I love this film. It opened up my eyes to a whole new universe of cinema. It opened up my eyes to the endless ways the art of filmmaking can be done. Its twists and turns make me gasp and lean forward. Its uncanniness makes me wonder and its poeticness makes me gleam. It evokes all sorts of questions and all sorts of ideas. There’s something special about this short-film. It transcends time. A masterpiece? Certainly.
xx Solaia
