Extreme Cinema

shocktactics

Gaspar Noé was once the filmmaker who jolted audiences out of their complacency with truly horrifying depictions of social carnage. As he releases a new movie, Katherine McLaughlin considers whether the master provocateur has really softened and asks who might replace him as the arch purveyor of extreme cinema>>

When Gaspar Noé’s Vortex premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, reviews suggested that the enfant terrible behind Enter The Void, SeulContreTous, Irreversible and Climax had finally matured. The split screen film stars ario rgento and ran oise ebrun as a couple living out their last days in a arisian apartment. It’s a confronting and formally daring portrait of ageing and mortality which o made following a life threatening brain haemorrhage. Yet, it’s not the usual bare knuckle ride associated with his provocateur reputation. ewind to a pre pandemic annes where o screened short film Lux Æterna, a provocative visual assault starring atrice alle and harlotte ainsbourg as themselves discussing their on set e periences. t the same time, a new crop of writers and directors determined to push buttons and boundaries in cinema as personal catharsis seemed to be materialising.

In a nearby theatre on the roisette that same year, uentin Tarantino was in the audience for annes’ premiere of Nina Wu, a harrowing and bold post MeToo portrayal of humiliation, rape and T inspired by the nightmares and e periences of actress e i u who starred in and co wrote the film with Taiwanese director Midi . n Tarantino attending the screening, Midi commented, ‘maybe this film reminds him of his former producer’. ollowing the outing of arvey einstein by TheNew YorkTimes in ctober , the depiction of rape in movies by women filmmakers including ennifer ent’s TheNightingale and Isabella kl f’s Holiday) highlighted patriarchal brutality with long takes forcing the viewer to bear witness to horrific abuses of power. ike o ’s Irreversible, and irginie espentes and oralie Trinh Thi’s Baise-Moi, kl f’s graphic rape scene in Holiday a film about ascha, the trophy girlfriend of a anish gangster) was designed to challenge audiences. ut at the same time, according to the director, the character of ascha was an amalgamation of co screenwriter ohanne lgren, star ictoria armen onne and herself.

Holiday was released in the by nti orlds, a distributor which specialises in ‘uni ue, provocative and challenging cinema’. n the appeal of current radical filmmakers, ndy tarke, producer and co owner of ook ilms and nti orlds, states, ‘I think so called radical filmmakers are actually personal filmmakers and that’s what appeals to me. These films e ist in a totally different world, one where they make sense probably only to the filmmaker. They are mysteries that take time to unfold. ometimes they provoke, sometimes irritate, sometimes repulse sometimes they are in danger of falling apart, but that is why they are so e citing and thrilling.’ usty Mancinelli and Madeleine ims ewer’s Violation is a hugely personal film that broke new ground as it toyed with the rape revenge sub genre, turning it into a stomach churning e perience that re ected the fantasy of vengeance. The film e ists in its own hermetically sealed world but speaks to compelling conversations happening online when it comes to rape and abuse of power. ocial networking sites have acted as a powerful tool in this regard however, they’ve also spawned a generation of livestreamers who perform shocking acts for their followers I dare you to google oopalosi) and furthered the reach of conspiracy movements such as non.

The online battle for humanity is where e treme cinema takes on new life as it considers the impact of rising technology and its I implications. ctor and RedScare podcast co host asha ekrasova’s debut feature TheScaryOfSixty-First intends to shock with absurd humour in its depiction of paedophilia, se ual urges and the conspiracies surrounding effrey pstein’s death. imilar to im ummings’ TheBetaTest, it uses s cinema

and Stanley Kubrick’s EyesW ideShut as a touchstone. In contrast to Nekrasova, Cummings uses a similar concept to examine the digital democratisation of Hollywood in a post-Weinstein era. ‘Taboos against, say, incest, cannibalism and bestiality remain relatively stable over time,’ notes film critic nton itel. ‘ ut every age has both its own push-button issues and anxieties and its own technologies; changes in technology are accelerating at a rapid rate. erhaps all this is best instantiated in enfant terrible randon Cronenberg, who very much falls in line with the body-horror tradition inherited from his father David but who also updates these images and ideas to our own online age.’

In randon ronenberg’s brutal techno horror Possessor, an assassin’s autonomy melts away in a world where commerce and technology are of more value than humanity. Loss or transformation of identity, commodification of self and the distortion of reality in the digital age are fears that dominate in modern extreme cinema. There were reports of people fainting in screenings of Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning Titane. That film also uses body horror to e amine our thorny relationship with technology, bringing the conversation back to deviant sexual appetites while also dismantling social constructs. s lockdown demanded our lives moved online more, the crossover between cinema and internet thrived. Public shaming was a running theme throughout Radu Jude’s playfully provocative BadLuckBangingO rLoonyPorn which opens with a graphic se tape and uses shocking internet footage in between fictional drama. It took the top pri e at erlin ilm estival for confronting hypocrisy on all manner of subjects including female sexual desire. One of the wildest pieces of cinema released post-lockdown was anic a ravo’s Zola which ripped its storyline from a viral 148- tweet thread by a waitress who tagged along with a stripper on a scandalous road trip to lorida. In between all the se and violence, its themes of deception and cultural appropriation in the social media age are rigorously examined.

While cinema generally recalibrates what has come before, shifts in technology have motivated a new generation to go to extreme lengths online for monetary gain and approval. Nothing seems to be off limits to certain (largely male) livestreamers which is something Eugene Kotlyarenko’s gonzo satire Spree perfectly portrays. owever, there are filmmakers who beautifully, if somewhat disturbingly, capture what effect being extremely online has had over the last 20 years. Jane Schoenbrun’s coming-of-age horror W e’reAllG oing To TheW orld’sFair is a great example of a nuanced film that reflects the danger and succour of internet life.

Whatever your opinion on Gaspar Noé’s body of work, his technical nous has always pushed cinematic boundaries and attempted to show the viewer something new. Contemporary provocateurs are using everything at their disposal, with new technology a driving force. ia nger’s M yFirstFilm screens live online or I straight from her Mac ook it’s interactive and changes with every viewing. Though the screen may have shrunk, with many releases watched via streaming services, new kids on the block are boldly reimagining what the moving image means in this online age.

Vortex is in cinemas from Friday 13 May.

Wild at heart: (previous pages) Vortex (this page, clockwise from top left) Climax, Zola, Irreversible, Titane, The Beta Test

SCOTLAND’S YEAR OF STORIES 2022

MORE THAN 100 EVENTS ARE TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE COUNTRY AS PART OF SCOTLAND’S YEAR OF STORIES 2022. HERE ARE SIX TO CATCH THIS SPRING…

PERTH AND KINROSS’ YEAR OF STORIES Throughout the year, Perth and Kinross Council will be working with community groups, creatives and cultural organisations to tell the stories of women from across Perth and Kinross. These amazing stories are part of the Raise the Roof project, from the Jacobites to modern day, and will conclude in a trail across Perth with fantastic life size wire women. Other events include the Birnam Book Festival, Black Watch Museum Book

Festival and Royal National Mòd. Until October, Perth and Kinross, perthcity.co.uk/section/scotlands-year-of-stories Perth and Kinross’ Year of Stories. Photo shows wire figures © Audrey Russell Photography

OUR STORIES: TRADITIONAL GAELIC STORYTELLING Auchindrain – the last surviving Scottish Highland Township, based near Inveraray in Argyll – plans to celebrate Scotland’s Year of Stories by presenting a new series of Argyll folk tales on their YouTube channel. The stories will be delivered in the local Gaelic dialect and videos will be subtitled in both Argyll Gaelic and English, giving viewers an opportunity to learn a little of this rarely spoken dialect

of the Gaelic language. The series takes us back to a way of life that has been largely forgotten and gives new breath to Scotland’s traditional tales. Each story will take place across 2022, on a date significant to the old pre-Gregorian calendar – this includes a story about Beltane which will be launched on 1 May. Until 31 October, online only, auchindrain.org.uk Àdhamh Ó Broin, a Gaelic tradition-bearer, inside Martin’s House at Auchindrain Historic Township. Photo credit: Urras Achadh Droighinn/The Auchindrain Trust

FESTIVAL FAMILY ENCOUNTERS Free site-specific theatre and dance to surprise, challenge and delight young audiences. Edinburgh International Children’s Festival opens on 7 May with Festival Family Encounters – a day of pop-up performances and arts activities for families. Set against the stunning backdrop of the National Museum of Scotland, the day will include a New Stories strand of innovative storytelling, created specially by emerging artists for the Year of Stories.

7 May, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, imaginate.org.uk/festival Pop at Festival Family Encounters 2019. Photo credit: Ruth Armstrong

FISHERFOLK FESTIVAL This fun, family-friendly celebration of the social and cultural history of the Ross-shire Seaboard Villages will have a special storytelling focus for Scotland’s Year of Stories. Traditional Scottish singers and storytellers will tell tales in English, Scots and Gaelic, exploring the area’s rich Pictish and Viking heritage, as well as its fishing trade. A variety of concerts, workshops, ceilidhs and minibus storytelling trips will take place in and around Balintore. Friday 27

– Sunday 29 May, The Seaboard Centre, Balintore, seaboardcentre.com Mermaid of the North. Photo credit: Aith Voe Photography

SEANACHAS The timetable of events for Seanachas will run until the end of the year when An Lanntair will present a series of events, films and special commissions celebrating tales from the Hebrides, both real and imagined, modern and ancient. In August An Lanntair will bring the festival described in Kevin MacNeil’s novel The Brilliant and Forever to life! Featuring humans and alpacas, this outdoor event combines a short story competition with

readings and much more. Until December, An Lanntair and other venues, Western Isles, lanntair.com/creative-programme/ year-of-stories Alpaca, Callanish, Isle of Lewis © An Lanntair / Moira Macdonald

SCOTLAND’S STORIES: COMMUNITY CAMPFIRES Scotland’s Stories: Community Campfires is a tour of story making residencies across Scottish communities. Working in partnership with local library services, Scottish Book Trust will bring a band of story makers – including Luke Winter and his Story Wagon – to support individuals to tell, make and share the stories that matter to them. Each residency will end with a Community Campfire event for the community to share the stories they have made over the preceding five days. This project is designed to celebrate the power of storytelling in all forms. There will be opportunities for participants to capture their stories in a variety of ways including the written word, through digital stories, in collaboration with a professional filmmaker and through a recorded conversation. The stories that are created will reflect Scotland’s rich tradition of storytelling and the vibrancy of its communities. Residencies will take place in Fife (2327 May) and the Western Isles (30 May – 3 June).

May to June, Fife and Outer Hebrides, scottishbooktrust.com/ reading-and-stories/scotlands-stories-community-campfires Luke Winter and the Story Wagon © VisitScotland / Chris Watt

Stories are vital to every part of Scotland and every community has its own tales to tell... So join in with Scotland’s Year of Stories 2022 and share yours. Head to visitscotland.com/stories to find out more.

We knew we weren’t just speaking into the void ”

Frustrated by not hearing Black Scottish voices in the mainstream media, Shirley Mcpherson and Suzie Mwanza created a new podcast. Zara Janjua meets the pair and revels in their mercurial ability to turn banter into an artform

Suzie Mwanza (above) and Shirley Mcpherson have fully capitalised on their shared history as childhood pals

‘If you really want to get to know someone, give them a computer that doesn’t work. How they handle that tells you everything you need to know.’ Shirley Mcpherson taps at her headphones, as her voice dips in and out. ‘I thought the days of tech hell were over,’ she says, identifying a kink in the wire.

‘The difficulties in winter is something I never want to live through again,’ admits podcast partner Suzie Mwanza who explains they had more than just ‘can you see me, can you hear me’ issues with technology in lockdown. Thick east coast accents combined with Mwanza’s Zambian and Mcpherson’s Lesotho heritage are a surprising combination for some, which they attribute to the lack of Black Scottish voices in mainstream media.

‘Sometimes when people south of the border meet us, they think we’re American,’ says Mcpherson. I can imagine bewildered Londoners listening to the accents, trying to match them with an African nation or Caribbean island. They grew up in Musselburgh, where there were very few Black Scottish students at their school. Twenty-nine-year-old Mwanza, who moved to Scotland when she was ten, was tasked with babysitting the now year old Mcpherson who was only seven when she arrived in the country). But she was less than keen, having ignored her at school: unsurprising given that ‘massive’ three-year age gap, which has closed as time passed.

‘At school there were a lot of expectation not to be an African stereotype,’ says Mwanza. ‘All people saw were the Oxfam and UNICEF adverts with poor, starving children. We felt like we had to prove that’s not what we were and that Africa was diverse and innovative.’ Like all good enterprising millennials, they embraced the online world, experimenting on YouTube with content like muckbang videos about eating) before launching the Black Scot Pod in ctober .

They didn’t go the whole hog until uly , with the push of the pandemic and inspiration from Stewart Kyasimire’s Black& Scottish documentary. ‘It gave us a spark to know that we weren’t just speaking into the void; there was an appetite for this kind of thing,’ says Mwanza. ‘Then George Floyd happened and the mainstream media started talking about Black representation.’

Black Scot Pod features pop culture, current events and lived experiences, with the pair sharing their thoughts on everything from education gaps in school and a lack of lack cottish films to the challenge of finding make up for dark skin tones. istening to this podcast is like eavesdropping on a conversation between friends on the bus into town. The ‘bantercast’ format allows hosts to trade raw, unfiltered, unedited opinions and Black Scot Pod keeps everything in: burps and all.

‘We didn’t want to be formal or come across as preaching and teaching; when I’m listening to podcasts, I want to be reminded of my own experiences and have a laugh,’ says Mwanza.

‘Suzie and I have always had chemistry; I see her as a sister. We can speak candidly and I don’t have to worry what she thinks,’ says Mcpherson.

Since launching, Black Scot Pod has been spotlighted on Apple’s Black Voices list and featured on Spotify’s Black Voices, alongside the likes of Michelle Obama’s podcast. Putting themselves out there is paying off and they’ve had a number of opportunities as a result of the

show. This year they’ve been asked to judge the British Podcast Awards for a second time. ‘I saw that email and thought it was spam. It’s just mind-blowing to be invited to judge some amazing podcasts and peers,’ says Mwanza. They are unassuming and painfully modest, saying they didn’t think anyone would listen. But thousands have, from Europe, Madagascar and even Australia. ‘When people started messaging us about their lived experience and asking for advice, that’s when we knew people were listening,’ says Mcpherson.

The talented duo have many strings to their bow: Mcpherson is an aspiring singer and Mwanza, who studied TV & film, has been directing and screenwriting. They recently launched The AV Club podcast series to review shows, movies and audiobooks, having previously partnered with Glasgow Film Festival, admitting the dream would be to secure a commission from Netflix or Amazon.

‘There shouldn’t be any geographical, race or gender barriers to achieve what you want in life,’ says Mwanza. ‘We are just as talented and capable as some of the biggest stars out there.’ The opportunities are only just beginning for a podcast duo who want to be taken out of their element. ‘Or at least out of the cupboard’ they podcast from.

Black Scot Pod can be found at linktr.ee/ blackscotpod with new episodes airing every Thursday. Black Scot Pod is just one of many top-quality homegrown ‘casts. Kevin Fullerton lends his ears to another set of local listens

FEELING MY SHELF

Literary nerds Joshua Tompkins and Maxime Swift’s brand-new monthly podcast Feeling My Shelf is tackling Scotland’s book scene and inviting local writers along for the ride. Tune in for the duo’s erudite take on the world of literature, from tiny novellas to doorstop novels. Perfect if you need some new book recommendations.  mixcloud.com

MALT WHISKY TRAIL PODCAST

The distillery aficionados at the Malt Whisky Trail have set up a podcast to help you appreciate your favourite dram. Based on the trail itself (a series of nine locations around Speyside), this is your chance to hear from the talented craftspeople creating some of the world’s finest golden liquid.  maltwhiskytrail.com

BREAKING THE NEWS

Comedian Des Clarke’s Breaking The News has become a cult favourite for its acerbic and satirical take on current affairs. With weekly episodes featuring top names such as Rachel Parris, Val McDermid and Susie McCabe, this is a treasure trove for anyone searching for a light-hearted take on heavy subject matter.  bbc.co.uk/sounds

CLASSIC SCOTTISH ALBUMS

A behind-the-scenes peek at some of the best albums ever produced in Scotland, from Idlewild’s The Remote Part to Donovan’s Sunshine Superman. Hosted by Davie Scott, this must-listen for pop enthusiasts features band and production crew interviews, exploring an album’s lasting influence on Scotland’s music scene.  bbc.co.uk/sounds

SCOTTISH INDIE PODCAST

Since its first broadcast last year, Scottish Indie Podcast has dedicated itself to the cutting edge of our indie music scene. Each instalment features special guests, from Echo Machine’s Gary Moore to Glasvegas’ Rab Allan. One to listen to if you want to discover the hottest new music around the country.  podbean.com

THE TARTAN NOIR SHOW

Scotland’s crime-writing landscape has been a towering success story for decades, and this podcast highlights some of the finest proponents of the genre. Host Theresa Talbot is joined by a special guest every week, be they crime authors or celebrity fans, to discuss everything from truecrime novels to hard-boiled fiction.  thebiglight.com

MAY CONTAIN NUTS

May Contain Nuts makes the most of the free-form nature of podcasting in this weekly improvisational barrage of silliness. Fronted by Russell Miller, Stuart Condy, Chris Miller and CraigJames Moncur, there’s plenty of fun in hearing four comics riff on an idea for as long as possible, with plenty of bizarre tangents along the way.  bbc.co.uk/sounds

DISCARDED SPIRITS CO. IS TAKING THE WORLD’S MOST RUBBISH BAR TO SCOTLAND!

Pioneers of the sustainable spirits movement, Discarded Spirits Co. are taking the World’s Most Rubbish Bar to Edinburgh with the immersive experiential event set to prove that sustainability does not mean sacrifice.

The brainchild of the zero-waste spirits brand, the bar is built on the Discarded Circular Cocktail Economy – with bar waste from local venues being used to create the drinks on offer. From unwanted coffee grounds to flat sparkling wine – all sourced from bars and coffee shops – these ingredients will be given a delicious new purpose.

Two of the world’s leading bars will also be on hand, transforming ‘waste’ into exquisite sustainable cocktails featuring the three delicious zero-waste spirits from the Discarded Spirits Co. From Banana Peel Rum, to Sweet Cascara Vermouth made from the husks of coffee cherries, to Grape Skin Vodka made from the waste leftover from wine production, these spirits give a second life to waste ingredients whilst creating an experience that’s both premium and purposeful.

The World’s Most Rubbish Bar’s messaging resonates as new research shows sustainable living is starting to spill over into consumers’ alcohol consumption – with 34% saying they would choose a more sustainable option from a bar menu – equivalent to 14 million people. In fact, over half (53%) would like bars to offer more sustainable drinking options and 39% would order a zero-waste cocktail if they could.

Calum Fraser Discarded Spirits Co. ambassador said: “By being more resourceful we can unlock undiscovered flavours, whilst creatively reusing ingredients that would otherwise be discarded. The World’s Most Rubbish Bar is the perfect way to show ecoconscious consumers how waste, taste and purpose beautifully collide.”

To secure your place at The World’s Most Rubbish Bar, simply feature a sustainable cocktail on menu which includes Discarded Grape Skin Vodka for six weeks. Send your cocktail and enquiries to Calum.Fraser@wgrant.com