“Dark Blossom” may be one of the most artistic documentaries I have seen is some time. It’s not a documentary that is preoccupied with plot but almost serves an excuse to present a richly crafted cinematography all you can eat Bellagio buffet. Yes you get the sense you are watching a film you might see at an art museum crossed with a horror movie, music video and a fashion show. Visually stunning.
Director and cinematographer of this Danish film Frigge Fri graduated from the Fatamorgana school of art photography. Most of her short career has consisted as acting as a cinematographer and has directed a score of music videos. “Dark Blossom” is her first feature-length documentary film directorial debut. To be frank this documentary is not heading for a big commercial success but if you agree with me cinema can be an art film this documentary is for you.
You’ll be exposed to Goth culture where fashion and image are extremely vital. You’ll be introduced to three Goths basically ill at ease with society and find a sense of community in the Goth world.
Josephine grew up with divorced parents in a small Danish town and just could not fit in at school and found refuge and meaning in the Goth community.
Nightmare is Josephine’s friend and was subject to bullying and exclusion at school while Jay lives in a strict religious family which tries to exclude him from the evils of the world.
All three find sanctuary, creativity and meaning in their Goth world. As director Fri states, “Josephine, “Nightmare” and Jay all have a strong creative vein and they use it to express the darkness each of them carry around. And precisely the channelling of for example loneliness, anxiety and lack of understanding from their surroundings, I find to be a huge inspiration and I have also become fascinated by their unstoppable access to express their inner demons through creativity.”
The documentary is 90 minutes in length and is in Danish, English, Urdu and German with English subtitles. It is having its international premiere at Hot Docs. You can see the film from 29April to 9May and buy tickets at the Hot Docs website https://hotdocs.ca/p/hot-docs-festival . It can only be watched from within Canada.
You can watch the trailer here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFZ3vdmhVII
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