Saint Bernard

Saint Bernard" is a highly stylized stitching of nightmares and dreamscapes meant to express the main character's dire circumstance. The idea of Bernard's dream devoured by unseen force from within is brilliant. Unfortunately the film never develops a cohesive, recognizable story to hold on to while we journey down this disturbing rabbit hole with Bernard. I love experimental theatre and surreal art, however in this instance the art steps on and over the opportunity for any story telling. It all fits better with some avant garde rock video.

Now it is very clear that the real intent of "Saint Bernard" is simply to display the very talented, brilliant ability of Gabe Bartalos. His work is among the best the FX industry has to offer, and despite the fact that this movie is devoid of story and character connectivity, it shows off some killer concepts and prosthetic skills. Not to mention awesome creature design. All done with practical effects. Still a film this long and with such a poignant subject- mental illness, really needed more than great FX.

This film is like nothing I've ever seen before. Sure, there is no story really but the SFX are so good and the soundtrack is pretty awesome. Any fan of surreal horror and practical effects is doing themselves a disservice if they don't watch this.

So, Gabe Bartalos decided to make a surreal art film. That might be an insult toward art films, and I hate them.

What you've got is 98 full minutes of complete and utter nonsense. The plot goes like this: Bernard wants to be a composer, and he carries around a rotting, severed Saint Bernard head in a sack. The End. Your welcome.

I bought this solely based on how much I dug his previous (and only other) film, Skinned Deep. I really enjoyed it's wild, balls-to-wall, retro-exploitation vibe, and was hoping for something at least in the same vein. Boy was I wrong! Saint Bernard is filled with puzzlement, infuriation, and maybe worst of all, boredom. I couldn't wait for it to be over with.

EDIT 03/15/22: This Blu-ray has a spectacular making of extra on it. I've bumped up my score a little, as it gave me a new appreciation of what they were able to accomplish. I will revisit this movie in the future. There is an incredible story on here about guerilla filmmaking that is insightful, clever, and absolutely hilarious. At one point, Gabe is talking about the detail of the props, and says it is used to "propel the narrative forward." One thing Saint Bernard does NOT have, is a narrative.

Don't even waste your time. There's no rhyme or reason. It's like a music video without the music, just cut after cut on special effects that are not that great. This is by a special effects master who should stick to doing effects and not telling stories of which there is no story here. Saint Bernard is for acid tripping, drug induced people who want random clips of dumb images to intensify their high. No other reason why this was made or even exists.

If you're one of those people who came to realise they've seen all the "weird" movies and feel a bit disheartened about how few of those are there (especially any good ones), then getting your hands on this film will feel like finding stash of gold in your backyard. Even if I were to give away most of the moments in this film, it's still impossible to realistically spoil it. It is done in spirit of "Begotten" but without brutality and deceptive references to the occult.