8/10
I didn't know much about this one going in, and when it was over, I didn't know much more about it. It's directed by experimental video artist/filmmakers Ben Rivers and Ben Russell. Rivers is known for blurring the lines between documentary and fiction, and ASTWOTD follows suit. Its loose center is a man played by Robert A.A. Lowe, best known for making music under the name Lichens. In the first segment he's shown living in a sort of hippie commune on an island in Estonia. In the second segment, he's off on his own in the wilderness of Finland. In the final segment, he's performing in a black metal band in Norway. At no point does the question of a plot come up, and the film felt to me like a sort of recreation or paean to the mysticism of creation. The film is an extremely slow and measured pace (the black metal concert scene appears to be one continuous shot that must go on for at least half an hour) but is extremely hypnotic. Russell and Lowe were on hand for a Q&A afterwards and despite coming across as very genial and enthusiastic, clarified precious little about the actual movie. Which was okay too, because I liked it.
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