Red Spirit Lake (1993)

The tension between masculine and feminine energies runs to the core of this film. Witch faces off against industrialist. Moments of male gaze are fragmented by disgust for the male gazing. The camera revels in visceral sexual assault of all bodies. Watching it I was able to discern correctly that the director was male, but that a woman had a strong creative input (it turns out a woman is co-writer and co-editor).

While it is thematically consistent, there is no justifying the sexual violence in this film. While Red Spirit Lake is art, and arthouse, it is also pornographic.

If you can stomach the r@pe, this is one of the great treasures you will find on your shot-on-video journey. The imperfection of tape feels like visible brushstrokes. Imagery is both experimental and intentional. Light is used and abused. The creative choices you yearn for but just can’t find in main stream films—you’ll find them here.