The Hyperboreans

Masters of their craft, Joaquín Cociña and Cristóbal León grace the Cannes Film Festival this year with the creative, enigmatically fun and immersive The Hyperboreans. It’s an explosion of mixed media using puppetry, stop motion, stage and theatrical sets that project the psychological phenomenon of illusions and manipulation. There’s also a very sci-fi quality to the picture with references to films like Metropolis. Underneath all the visual spectacle reveals an autobiographical aspect to the feature which depicts the life of Chilean writer Miguel Serrano, a prominent figure in the neo-Nazi movement.

Cyclical in nature, the feature opens and ends with the same monologue of the guide and narrator, an actor and clinical psychologist, describing a film that is near and dear to her. However, the negatives were stolen from the production company before they were able to digitise it. Now she aims to relive it through the memories that remain. It’s a silent nod to the audience of recounting history from a place of understanding with hindsight, but also confusion with assumption and theorisation. Throughout the picture, the narrator seeks the stolen movie – a script taken from her patient’s mind – so she can get her life back on track, only to find its origins in Serrano’s work. It’s a full-circle reflection of how this film credits its title to Serrano’s interest in Hitler as the saviour of Aryans, the direct descendants of the extraterrestrial demigods, the Hyperboreans.

This circular structure of the movie is perpetuated through visual imagery – spiralling circles seen on the TV screen, the swirling of coffee inside a cup, as well as the many, many disembodied heads littered throughout. The constant display of these circular materials echoes techniques of manipulation and hypnotism. While initially subtle, this theme becomes more apparent with the inclusion of puppets and the blatant ad for coffee spliced in between scene transitions. This illustrates the susceptibility of the human mind to subliminal messaging, dangerous ideologies, and other forms of manipulation. Like puppets on a string, human actions are dictated by an authoritative force. In this case, it’s the illusions and promises presented by their environment. Using Serrano as an example for this is an excellent method of dissecting history and the role figures like him play in the progression of humanity.

Chaotic and fantastical, The Hyperborean is a very enjoyable feature with an interesting history lesson to tell. The hand-crafted visuals, the liminal space and the eccentric method of storytelling cut through the sameness of many mainstream theatrical releases. Its commentary on Serrano is a dressing for the bigger question of the human psyche and the environment that shapes it.

Mae Trumata

The Hyperboreans does not have a UK release date yet.

Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival 2024 coverage here.

For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.

Watch the trailer for The Hyperboreans here: