“Undergods”, Chino Moya’s extraordinary futuristic film
The debut feature film by Chino Moya, the filmmaker from Madrid, is an absolute gem. Yes, yes, we are not going to beat about the bush.
This dystopian, fantasy, Sci-Fi film is a European co-production that was backed by the British Film Institute and Scott Free Productions, Ridley Scott’s production company, and is available on Filmin.
As you can see, “Undergods” submerges into a somber world, exploring topics such as loneliness, human decline, consumerism and inequality.
A non-linear structure that connects several stories set in a post-apocalyptic future
Through its stunning visual aesthetic and the narrative of the atmosphere, the film plunges us into an anti-utopian world that is deathly, decadent, desolate and oppressive, where a series of interconnected stories about failed societies and collapsing families unfolds, and which also poses deep and disturbing issues.
A decadent and overwhelming visual aesthetic and a cast of actors that rise to the occasion
One of the most remarkable aspects of “Undergods” is its amazing visual aesthetic, the photography created by David Raedeker, the soundtrack by Wojciech Golczewski, the editing by Walter Fasano, Tommaso Gallone and Maya Maffiol, the scenography by Marketa Korinková and Jo Sutherland, that brings a 1980s Eastern Europe to mind, and the production by Marko Jocic and Eimhear McMaho.
As you will see for yourselves, the film presents a fascinating combination of decrepit and futuristic elements, with inhospitable urban landscapes, a cold colour palette and atmospheric lighting that creates a feeling of doom and despair.
In regard to the cast of “Undergods”, the performances of Michael Gould, Kate Dickie, Géza Röhrig, Ned Dennehy, Jan Bijvoet or Johann Myers are noteworthy, they provide convincing, evocative interpretations with which they manage to convey the anguish and desperation present in the world in which they live.
A trilogy of stories about a society in decline
K and Z are two corpse collectors who wander around the city in a truck looking for remains of corpses. While they chat, one of them recalls the story of a loveless married couple that receives the visit of an alleged neighbour asking for temporary accommodation… They link this disturbing story to one of a father, that appears telling his daughter a terrifying story about a businessman that steals a great idea for a company from a mysterious man. This event leads to another story, where the life of the daughter of this rogue businessman is at risk. This in turn connects to another story in which a man returns home after having disappeared without a trace for fifteen years. That reunion with his wife, who is now married to a boring factory worker, leads to a massacre…And the interesting thing is that all these stories converge in some way around these two fools, K and Z…
“In the factory in the film, we see human beings subjected to a brutal system that in theory should be generating something. But the system has collapsed, and it no longer generates anything (…). I want people to realise that we are heading toward the edge of a cliff and we have to stop.” Chino Moya
The film has been praised by critics and the public and was also nominated for the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) in the categories of Best Special Effects, and Production Design. “Undergods” is extraordinary and unmissable.
