Blank Narcissus (Passion of the Swamp)

Going to the HOME cinema in Manchester to see a screening of Flux Gourmet (2022-also reviewed) featuring a live Q&A with film maker Peter Strickland,I was happily surprised to learn of a brand new short by Strickland (which he introduced) was to be shown before the main film, which led to me going to the swamp.

View on the film:

Emerging from the swamp as a lost/ rediscovered 1972 film, writer/ directing auteur Peter Strickland continues to expand on his distinctive ultra-stylization, via closely working with cinematographer Tim Sidell in expertly capturing the texture of early 1970's Adult cinema, with fading primary colours emphasizing the surreal backdrop over fading primary colours.

Giving a tree a rather unique branch,and a close-up on a man having some Gentleman's Time, the screenplay by Strickland impressively turns the erotic, into the melancholy, thanks to a fake audio commentary opening up the laments that the director of the short has, for the passion that was at the swamp.