Nocturne evokes one of the most magnificent films of Brakhage: Fire of Waters. It takes place in a suburb populated by children playing and indistinct parental figures. The narrative plot might suggest that it was a boy's night-time plays; The flashes of a torch in a dark room evoke fights and aerial bombardments. An impression of hostility and a feeling of horror interferes in all the movements ... The fantasy is tinged with nightmare, a storm of repressed emotions hides behind the calm facade of this house. In Nocturne, found footage blends so well with the threat that its perception produces a discharge from the unconscious.
Editing
Torchlight battles become aerial bombardments through sheer montage alchemy.
Sound
Silent horror that screams through image alone.
Director
Phil Solomon
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Solomon spent years collecting the found footage before discovering the 'night play' structure hidden within it.
The suburb setting weaponizes the mundane—Solomon proves avant-garde horror needs no monsters, only misremembered childhood.
US
