Mammalia

This must be the worst movie ever put to screen.

It makes zero sense, the acting is terrible, the script is all over the place, the pace is terrible.

Nothing happens, every scene is twice as long as should be.

This is a waste of public money.

This is not a cult classic.

This is not a game changer.

This is the worst movie that saw the light in Romania.

Dont listen to the 10's.

Well, dont listen to my 1.

Go watch it and make up your mind but I am 100% sure you will come to the same conclusion as me.

I cant believe this hot piece of garbage was greenlit by someone sane.

Oh my god, what a useless, pointless and incoherent movie this is.

The whole idea is good. Introspection and feelings translated into images, dreams and activities of a group, the inner dramma of one's insecurities and loss of manhood. I get it. The main problem is the actual plot and the way it is expressed. The acting is poor, artificial, forced into the abstract. Characters are built superficially, actually they are not built, they are delivered to the public with the expectation of being understood, without any introduction to the universe they are living in. The image direction looks cheap, the way light is used, the sound, almost everything. The idea of a cult is a bit overrated. It's a shame, could have been a good one.

I watched it at the Berlinale and was blown away by its cinematographic force. The story is not so important, although it contributes to the movie's power. I must admit that in general I'm more into the cinematography of movies than the morale of their story. It's enough for me if the story is coherent and minimally interesting. I watched movies with great ideas and powerful stoires, that were badly executed and had no value whatsoever as cinematic works of art.

Well, Mammalia is an instant cult movie. It creates a magic cinematic world, which is not necessarily founded on the story, but on its image and sound, as well as the fantastic play of the actors. I was fascinated by this film in the same way I was fascinated by movies like Rosemary's Baby or Mullholand Drive. How consistent is the story in Rosemary's Baby? Who remembers it in detail? I guess not many, but who cares? Everybody remembers the devil underneath.

It's the same for Mammalia: the story is just a pretext for the people who made it, only to create a cinematic being. A powerful and fascinating one, who stays around you for a while.

There are many memorable scenes, the whole movie is made of memorable scenes. But the one that haunts me is the scene in the office, where the mix of surreal working space and almost sexual power relation of a young woman who indifferently bosses the main character (an older guy) sticks to your skin a difficult to define angst.

Also worthy to mention: the amazing actors and the powerful esthetics. At least for the Romanian cinema it's highly refreshing to watch something else besides the "new wave" irritating mannerisms.