For I Am Dead (Review)
© Patricia Delso Lucas
For I Am Dead
Director : Patricia Delso Lucas
Producers : Patricia Delso Lucas, Al Nazemian
Starring Al Nazemian, Riggsby Lane
Original Score : Tom Bourgeois
Runtime : 18 minutes
16:9 - Digital - Color
Language : English
Country : Belgium
Storyline :
In late-1800s Europe, Oscar, a wealthy but lonely middle-aged man who has lived a decadent, superficial life in a chateau filled with wine, courtesans and opium, confesses love to his gardener Jude before he dies of his excesses.
© Patricia Delso Lucas
From the very first images, we can admire the aesthetics and decors. Making a film set in 1800 with a low budget is audacious. In the end, the result is there.
Let’s start with form.
The work on the light is splendid: very little light source, this one is always justified in the image by candles in particular.
A visual bias that encourages contemplation. There is also a hazy, mysterious aesthetic that hints at a strange omen. Tragic potential clue?
© Patricia Delso Lucas
Let’s now talk about the staging which remains sober but purely effective: Large pieces and some furniture will be enough to convince us. Just like the exterior plans on this magnificent castle.
And the costumes? The characters inhabit them nicely and they are perfectly anchored in the sets. Everything is meticulously worked to make the thing as credible as possible. The direction is more than convincing.
© Patricia Delso Lucas
As for the screenplay and the story, the work is also important. Starting with an inner voice-over beautifully written and narrated by the main actor, Al Nazemian. The spectator is immersed in the thoughts of the character, between dream and reality in which are mixed liberating fantasy, passionate love, fear and guilt.
His penchant for alcohol and drugs acts as painkillers.
Reality is beyond him. He is a being who lives in fear and silence.
The performance of the actor is of great prowess.
© Patricia Delso Lucas
For I am Dead is a kind of adult tale involving the male emotions of a homosexual character ill in his skin. He is condemned to live alone despite his dominance and nobility. A paradox that leads to the following reflection: can love act as a liberation of soul and spirit?
By Hallucinea Film Festival
