#POLISH PREMIERE | fantastic | Conan the Barbarian | variation | fantasy | strange | France | myth | transgression | Belgium | body horror | Agata Buzek | masks | dog | glitter | women | onirism | perversion | nightmare | warriors | sarcasm | Bronx | sophistication
SHE IS CONANN
fantasy | France | 2023 World premiere: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Polish premiere: Splat!FilmFest
CONANN, WHAT IS BEST IN LIFE?
Forget about everything that you think you know about Conan the Barbarian. „Conann” is a transgression-filled variation on the mythical character created by Robert E. Howard. Enter the surrealistic world full of perverse sex, nightmares and gore shown in a sophisticated aesthetics of a music video.
The viewers are led through this oneiric story about Connan-warrior by Rainer – a smartmouth woman-mutant with a dog’s head and a love for sarcasm. Conann’s story begins in the Sumerian era, but it leads the viewers e.g. through the ‘90s Bronx up to the contemporary times. It’s impossible to summarize the plot of „Connan” in a few sentences. Betrand Mandico („After Blue: Dirty Paradise”) is an expert when it comes to visually-appealing music videos and sophisticated short movies. He is also famous for sneaking off all patterns. This movie is a feminist manifestation and a gore epos all in one, sometimes so disgusting that you’d want to look away from the screen and at the same time so beautiful that you won’t be able to do it.
„Connan” alludes stylistically mainly to the European fantasy cinema of the ‘70s and ‘80s, however fans of „Connans” with Arnold Schwarzenegger will surely notice the hints leadingbto these classics. Mandico challenges the viewers: he weaves between a classical story about the birth of a warrior and a body horror and in the meantime he throws obstacles in the form of rough philosophical deliberations at viewers’ feet. The dominant colours of „Conann” are black and white (other colours appear occasionally, to make the message even clearer), which strengthens the feeling of absurdity and Rainer’s ironic narration makes it even easier for the viewers to treat Conann’s story as less important.
The main character’s role, at different stages of life, is played by different actresses. A 15-year-old Conann is portrayed by Claire Duburcq („After Blue” and „1917”), a 25-year-old one by Christa Théret who was seen as the most promising young actress in Berlin a decade ago, Agata Buzek played a 45-year-old Conann, Nathalie Richard and Françoise Brion were responsible for the creation of an older Conann.
„Conann” had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year and was nominated to the Queer Palm.
#POLISH PREMIERE | fear and terror | Barbara Crampton |Re-animator | Lovecraft | horror | dead again | Cthulhu | primeval | as Full Moon | talking head | the…
