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| Images Courtesy of Otso Tianen |
Richard Stanley's career is an endless cycle of brilliant
filmmaking coupled with catastrophic setbacks, obscure occult pursuits,
and most recently disappointing revelations. The South African auteur's
career began with controversy, as Hardware, considered a cult science
fiction horror masterwork by many, was the product of plagiarism. Otso
Tianen's documentary Shadowland began as an exploration of an isolated
occult community in France, only to then transform into an exploration of
Stanley's dubious past and uncertain, legally strained future.
The film follows various members of an esoteric commune in the French
Pyrenees. Montsegur, referred to as "The Zone" (by way of
Tarkovsky's Stalker) by many who reside in the area, is a hidden place
believed to be capable of healing those who attune themselves with it.
Among them is disgraced filmmaker Richard Stanley, who at the start of filming
had just completed the acclaimed Color Out of Space adaptation and was
poised to direct more Lovecraft inspired tales.
Perhaps the strongest attribute is the unassuming
cinematography, fusing beautiful shots of mountains and environs. Every ritual, no matter how archaic or strange,
is filmed with warm colors and bright lighting, inspiring awe and mystery, while
the shots of Stanley’s abode get darker and darker with each revelation. During a final interview with Stanley, he is
almost entirely enshrouded, smoking, ranting, and accusing. It is this powerful segment that makes the
entire argument, which, no matter who is to be believed, it is clear that this
is a man who is wrestling with many demons, both real and imagined.
Viewers looking for a deep dive into the domestic abuse
allegations may find disappointment. At its core, Shadowland is
about how charismatic personalities are able to insert themselves into
communities and reinvent themselves. The way that the occult mysticism is
mirrored against Stanley's ever changing, mysterious persona is fascinating,
combining faith, magic, and deceptions in a potent cocktail that is a slice of
life for not only these wayward souls, but of survivors everywhere. The
result is a competent, and fair analysis of those who seek enlightenment and
those who enshroud themselves in facades.
Coming soon to theaters and on demand, Shadowland
is a powerful documentary film that just debuted at Beyond Fest, distilling Me
Too horrors via both new age and ancient rituals to illustrate how darkness can
exist anywhere, even in a fabled place of healing and rejuvenation. While
Stanley is given fair treatment, his acquittal will most likely enrage or at
the least distance even some of his more stalwart supporters.
--Kyle Jonathan