Horror that’ll stick with you: Begotten (1989)
‘Pagans’ look out upon a barren wasteland
TW: This Film contains scenes of Violence, Suicide, and Sexual Violence
Upon first glance, you might be mistaken to think that Begotten was made about a hundred years ago, and perhaps stored under a rock for most of that time. With its grainy, stark black and white imagery, achieved by its writer, editor and director E. Elias Merhige rubbing sandpaper on the film before processing with an optical printer. I wouldn’t blame you.
In truth, it’s quite hard to discern even what Begotten really is, although it’s strikingness has led itself to a large following of people, often circulating home copies of what was a fairly rare DVD at the time, debating what the true meaning of the film actually is.
Opening with the lines: ‘Lost in a present that never stops passing. Like a flame burning away the darkness. Life is flesh on bone convulsing above the ground.’ Begotten, in its retelling of Genesis, plays with the themes of life, death and rebirth. The famous opening scene in which a godlike figure is shown committing suicide is without saying, brutal, but also catalyses the later events showing rebirth and new life, albeit in some very unpleasant ways.
Begotten is not an easy film to watch, but I will argue that it should not be dismissed as simply gore, or as many would argue, badly filmed horror. What makes Begotten great is the variety of themes it evokes, and the debate it can spark. As the figures credited as the ‘Son of Earth, Flesh and Blood’ and ‘Mother Earth’ navigate a barren wasteland, encountering masked figures, credited as ‘Pagans’, the film dabbles in aspects borrowed from both Christianity and pagan mysticism and combines the two to create a horrifying vision of creation.
It’s also worth crediting the work of Theatreofmaterial, a dance troupe, created by Merhige, that went into creating what essentially was a passion project written by Merhige in just 6 months, partly based upon a recent near death experience. Working as both crew and cast members, Theatreofmaterial aimed to emulate the Sankai Junku, a Japanese dance troupe that knew each other on a deep personal level, in its work. This influence carries through as you observe the ways in which the ‘pagans’ influence each other, often appearing not as individuals, but part of a larger whole. Using a combination of breathing exercises, meditation and even hypnotism that were used to create a panic and hysteria that would be utilised in scenes.
When watching Begotten, this hysteria shines through the strange Black and White imagery to create a film that’s a completely unique, if not always pleasant experience. The opening in particular, perhaps in its overtness, is nothing short of terrifying and grotesque. However Begotten’s cult following is not unwarranted given the discussion it is always able to evoke, it’s plot being so open to interpretation. Although there are plenty of films that contain gore for gores sake, I don’t think Begotten is one of them, It’s one of those films that, if you love it or hate it, either way, it will stick with you.