Movie Review: Until the Light Takes Us
Documentary on the controversy and crime wave in black metal music in Norway. Trailer posted before, but here again for good measure.
I grew up when people were completely losing it over Marilyn Manson. In the case of Marilyn Manson, this was clearly ridiculous. But apparently in the early 90s Norway had a problem. For 'a problem' read 56 church burnings, one suicide, and two murders.
Black metal, so far as I can tell, stemmed from a deliberate effort to write something cold and alienating in reaction against a culture both liberal and rigidly conformist. The film's weakness is that I still don't understand precisely what prompted that kind of violent musical reaction. What the film does do well is tell the story of how a musical subgenre led directly to a wave of violence and crime, and how the treatment of that story in the press obscured the real reasons which defined it.
The subject seems lurid, but the filmmakers treat it sensitively and intelligently. The film focuses on two major musicians in the genre -- Gylve Nagell of the band Darkthrone, and Vark Vikernes of Burzum. Nagell comes across as a non-fussy, non-melodramatic guy who is both quietly analytical and very musically astute. Vikernes, strikingly articulate and a talented musician, is also clearly a psychopath -- he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for arson and murder (though he's since been released on parole).
The film is very good, both for its exposition of a little-told story, and for the fact that it steps back and lets its subjects do the talking. Though there's a moral judgment to be made, Until the Light Takes Us doesn't insult its audience by pointing and shouting at the obvious conclusions. I like that. Books and articles on the subject seem more interested in condemning obviously condemnable actions than trying to figure out why they happened. The movie lets its participants give the explanations and make the falls. That's a fine line to walk, and Until the Light Takes Us walks it quite well.
Go see it if you can. The only Canadian screening right now is in Winnipeg, of all places, but if enough people email the Bloor Cinema (info at bloorcinema dot com) I bet we could get it to come to Toronto. I know I would see it again in a heartbeat.*
*I wanted to see this movie so much that during finals period I dragged my visiting boyfriend on the 8h round-trip bus ride to New York for the exclusive purpose of seeing this film. Totally worth it.
I grew up when people were completely losing it over Marilyn Manson. In the case of Marilyn Manson, this was clearly ridiculous. But apparently in the early 90s Norway had a problem. For 'a problem' read 56 church burnings, one suicide, and two murders.
Black metal, so far as I can tell, stemmed from a deliberate effort to write something cold and alienating in reaction against a culture both liberal and rigidly conformist. The film's weakness is that I still don't understand precisely what prompted that kind of violent musical reaction. What the film does do well is tell the story of how a musical subgenre led directly to a wave of violence and crime, and how the treatment of that story in the press obscured the real reasons which defined it.
The subject seems lurid, but the filmmakers treat it sensitively and intelligently. The film focuses on two major musicians in the genre -- Gylve Nagell of the band Darkthrone, and Vark Vikernes of Burzum. Nagell comes across as a non-fussy, non-melodramatic guy who is both quietly analytical and very musically astute. Vikernes, strikingly articulate and a talented musician, is also clearly a psychopath -- he was sentenced to 21 years in prison for arson and murder (though he's since been released on parole).
The film is very good, both for its exposition of a little-told story, and for the fact that it steps back and lets its subjects do the talking. Though there's a moral judgment to be made, Until the Light Takes Us doesn't insult its audience by pointing and shouting at the obvious conclusions. I like that. Books and articles on the subject seem more interested in condemning obviously condemnable actions than trying to figure out why they happened. The movie lets its participants give the explanations and make the falls. That's a fine line to walk, and Until the Light Takes Us walks it quite well.
Go see it if you can. The only Canadian screening right now is in Winnipeg, of all places, but if enough people email the Bloor Cinema (info at bloorcinema dot com) I bet we could get it to come to Toronto. I know I would see it again in a heartbeat.*
*I wanted to see this movie so much that during finals period I dragged my visiting boyfriend on the 8h round-trip bus ride to New York for the exclusive purpose of seeing this film. Totally worth it.