The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears

3^rd October 2013

Francesca Laidlaw

Francesca Laidlaw

3 October 2013

Friday 11^th October, 8.45pm – VUE, Screen 5
Sunday 13^th October, 8.45pm – Hackney Picturehouse, Screen 1
Sunday 20^th October , 8.45pm – Curzon Mayfair, Screen 1 

The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears charts a chilling descent into madness, instigated by Dan Kristensen (Klaus Tange) returning to his home to find that his wife Edwige has vanished. His confusion at her initially inexplicable absence sparks a gripping and arresting fall into a captivatingly visceral exploration of the dark side of the human psyche. This film violently draws focus to the animalistic roots of sex, and its consequences when combined with an absence of humanity. 

The use of snapshots throughout the increasingly realistic nightmare sequences draws the audience to sharp, horrified attention. A chilling audio backdrop (of all human sounds) brutally shows how the greatest animals one can face are the Homo sapiens themselves. Our own psyche is both our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. 

In the basest form of being “human”, sex and violence dominate utterly – personal survival and reproduction are the only two things that integrally matter to the continuation of our species. The increasingly agonized cries of pleasure and the harsh tearing of flesh ringing out as black and white images jolt erratically across the screen bring home the reality that we exist in a single moment: the present – now. 

Mortality and the fight for survival are subtle themes in this collapse into insanity. These seem integrally linked with the more overt references to the dark side of human psyche and the light (which is shown beautifully in the dramatic contrast of dark and light, colour and monochrome). The landlord’s entrance into Kristensen’s apartment steadies the film for a moment, as the camera holds constant focus and our protagonist is forced into a “normal” interaction. 

The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears is beautifully filmed, strikingly presented and intensely thought-provoking. Clashing themes bring together an unforgettably brutal impact. Symbolism is rife throughout: the use of forebodingly diminishing, non-ignitable matches and phallic imagery that plays into the theme of female power wind a taut thread through the film. The presentation of Laura in particular gives strength to the seeming reclamation of female sexual power. Meanwhile, the destruction of Kristensen is due to the absence of a woman. This film is grippingly evocative – not to be missed.  

Francesca Laidlaw

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Watch the trailer for The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears here: