#fantastic / future / apocalypse / bright colours / alien planet / liberation / love / sex / sexuality / violence / pursuit / western / wonderful landscapes / science-fiction / retro / fantasy / surrealism / Polish premiere

AFTER BLUE

fantasy, science-fiction, western / France / 2021 / 2h 7m

Once upon a time in the wild, surrealistic west

Try and envision an LSD-infused, steamy version of “The NeverEnding Story” that has a passionate love affair with western, “Mad Max,” and “The Dark Crystal.” Go ahead…even that won’t prepare you for the wild ride that is “After Blue.”

Unknown, remote future. The Earth has been destroyed and those who survived have moved to a planed called After Blue. Unfortunately, this new home turned out to be not quite hospitable for some of them. The male species has quickly gone extinct, as they were not suited for the local conditions. The women survivors created their own communities and began to live a life by new rules which are supposed to protect them from another absurd self-extermination. We get to know this inhospitable, toxic and untamed planet thanks to Roxy, an alienated teenager nicknamed “Toxic” by other members of the tribe. One day, she stumbles upon a head sticking out from the sand. In exchange for Roxy’s help, the mysterious Kate Bush (Agata Buzek) offers to grant her three deepest wishes. The first one will be sending her female peers to hell for making her life miserable. Their deaths, however, do not go unnoticed — Roxy and her mother have to take responsibility for the crime. The mother-daughter duo sets out for a quest traveling through different inhospitable and toxic parts of the planet to find the dangerous Kate Bush and bring her to justice. All in the name of the community!

“After Blue” is a surrealistic daydream of a film that combines the vibes of old-school dark fantasy, science-fiction western, post-apocalyptic landscapes, and LSD-infused erotic dreams. Bertrand Mandico, a French director of experimental short films, takes us into a world that is strange, unsettling, vibrant with uninhibited desire — and overall tough to categorize. A traditional story about chasing a villain turns out to be an eerie frenzied trip. The retro scenography and color palette combined with the unclear time frame create a future that is saturated with the past. The film seems like horror, a weird comedy, a Disney cartoon, and something full of hypnotizing passion. A fascinating vision, not to be overlooked.

directed by: Bertrand Mandico
screenplay: Bertrand Mandico
starring: Paula-Luna Breitenfelder, Elina Löwensohn, Agata Buzek, Anaïs Thomas and others
cinematography: Pascale Granel
editing: George Cragg, Laure Saint-Marc
music: Pierre Desprats
language: French, English, Polish
subtitles: Polish
WORLD PREMIERE: Locarno Film Festival 2021

Age restriction: 16+