Festivals - Fantasia 2020 : Undergods, World Premiere

By Mulder, 14 august 2020

An otherworldly journey through a Europe in decline, Chino Moya’s debut Undergods is a collection of darkly humorous fantasy tales about a series of men whose worlds fall apart through a visit from an unexpected stranger. Set to an original, synth score featuring ‘80s electronica, Undergods journeys through disparate eras and realities fusing failed 20th Century utopias and 21st Century Ikea nightmares. An unsettlingly entertaining, singular visual feast, Undergods features a stand out, pan European cast that includes Kate Dickie (The Witch), Ned Dennehy (Mandy), Geza Rohrig (Son of Paul), Adrian Rawlins (Chernobyl), and an especially crazed Jan Bijvoet (Borgman). Made with the support of the BFI, (using funds from the National Lottery), the Wallonia Brussels Fund for Audiovisual and Cinema, the Estonian Cultural Fund, the Estonian Film Institute and Sweden’s Film I Vast, Undergods is produced by the UK’s Z56FILM in co-production with Velvet Films (Belgium), Homeless Bob Production (Estonia), Media Plus (Serbia), Filmgate Films (Sweden), and Ridley Scott Creative Group’s Black Dog Films and RSA Films.

Chino Moya's first feature film, Undergods, places viewers in a distant futuristic world, although it unfortunately seems more familiar with each passing day. The film's narrators maneuver through a deserted, ruined, grayish-blue city, gathering bodies as they go and sharing nightmarish stories of a long-forgotten past. What follows is a series of stories that overlap and weave through time and space with remarkable grace and ease. The narrative arcs intersect elegantly as the stories overlap and rush to a powerful and satisfying conclusion. Although the stories clearly predate the complete degradation of their world, there is a disturbing sense of despair already present on the weary faces of each character.

The film also presents an ethereal score of futuristic keyboards, intensifying in perfect harmony with the emotional waves of each story. Undergods manages to be at once sinister and hopeful, tragic and funny, cold and passionate. Chino Moya's experience directing music videos has helped him create an anthology that seems much more organic and thoughtful than many of his predecessors. He knows exactly what he wants to tell us about humanity, despair, loneliness, remorse and rage - all in an intelligent, subtle and memorable way. This feverish, twisted and complex dream echoes the sense of unease we all feel at this time. Perhaps it would be smart to view it as a warning, because if we are not careful, our incipient feelings of fear, doubt and insecurity have the potential to lead to catastrophe.

Undergods
Written and directed by Chino Moya
Produced by Sophie Venner
Starring Geza Rohrig, Johann Myers, Michael Gould, Hayley Carmichael, Ned Dennehy, Khalid Abdalla, Eric Godon, Jan Bijvoet, Tanya Reynolds, Tadhg Murphy, Lorraine Hilton, Katriina Unt, Sam Louwrck, Adrian Rawlins, Kate Dickie, Burn Gorman
Music by Wojciech Golczewksy
Cinematography : David Raedeker
Edited by Walter Fasano, Tommaso Gallone, Maya Maffioli
Running time : 92mns

(Source : Fantasia 2020 official website)