Customer Reviews

Aftermath/Genesis

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Courtesy of Unearthed films, this DVD is a complete and essential package for those wanting to explore the works of Spanish cult director Nacho Cerda. We get all 3 of his short films and a boatload of extras to boot. But before you read any further, I will issue a warning. If the sight of blood makes you the least bit queasy, do not view “Aftermath”. If you see yourself as some sort of hot-shot horror aficionado because “I dig gory films such as Dawn of the Dead and Evil Dead” then stay far away from this, because you won’t be prepared for what’s about to unfold on your screen. Why would I go out of my way to watch something like this? Well for two major reasons 1) I’m a hardcore horror fanatic whose always looking for something to push my boundaries and 2) because these films are a prime example of DIY filmmaking, beautifully made despite a micro-budget and by a director who refuses to compromise his style and vision for the hope of commercial success.

THE AWAKENING (B&W, 1990): A bored, underachieving student doses off in class and when he awakens he finds everything to be frozen in place as if time stood still. Cerda’s twilight zone-ish debut film, this is rudimentary filmmaking at best, made with no budget when Cerda was a film student at USC. Despite the zero budget, The Awakening does keep us intrigued during the length of its scant 5-minute run time. This short explores the first step in the process of dying – actual physical death, and should be viewed first to appreciate Cerda’s evolution as a maker of short, silent films.

AFTERMATH (Colour, 1994): This 30-minute short is one of the most brutal, graphic and uncompromising things ever put to celluloid. Still, it should not be viewed simply as exploitation, this is actually a well-filmed and artsy piece of work. The transfer is beautiful and the picture crystal-clear, free of the grain that plagued the original video format.

Aftermath explores the second step in the process of death: What happens to the body after death. Plot: In an autopsy room, two coroners carry on their grisly deeds which are gory but at this point nothing seems inherently wrong. Until one of the two coroners is left alone with the body of a beautiful female, then things get really wild. By now he’s no longer just doing a job, emotions have taken over and we watch his descent into madness as the corpse is raped, the private parts stabbed along with other unpleasantries that I refuse to go into in further detail.

Aftermath is utterly difficult watch. The graphic nature of the barbaric acts is the main reason of course, but also because of the de-facto way in which things are presented to us; these scenes of necrophilia are not fetishized a la Jorg Buttgereit’s Nekromantik films, instead they are presented to us as the horrible, unpleasant and sick practice that it really is. You will not be turned on in any way sexually by watching this one, I can guarantee you that. As much as Cerda might try to put some sort of philosophical spin on it, Aftermath has no point whatsoever aside from wanting to shock and revolt. Still, it’s essential genre viewing for gorehounds and because, well, something like this has never quite been done before has it?

GENESIS (Colour, 1998): Genesis premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia film festival to scores of applause even though the end result is different than what most people were likely expecting from a Nacho Cerda film.

Plot: A sculptor loses his wife in a tragic car accident. He then sculpts a statue of her, which eventually begins to bleed from a wound in its chest. In a desperate bid to give her back life, the sculptor begins to open wounds on his own body in an attempt to offer his life for hers. As the sculpture begins to gain life, the artist slowly begins to lose his.

Genesis is free of graphic grotesqueries and its fantasy theme of a statue coming to life is in stark contrast to the brutal realism of Aftermath but still Genesis is not quite the radical departure from his other work that others might think it is. This is unquestionably the director’s unique stamp and style. It also makes for a perfect companion piece to Aftermath as it explores the 3rd stage of death, which is what happens to the survivor after a loved one dies. Beautiful and haunting, Genesis is another film that will stay with you long after the credits roll.

The special features are among some of the best I’ve ever seen. This one’s packed to the rafters with goodies such as a director commentary track for all 3 films where Cerda explains in fluent English how the films came to be made. We also get a 20-minute film on “The making of Aftermath”, trailers, storyboards, production stills and best of all, a 10-minute dual interview with Nacho Cerda and German madman Jorg Buttgereitt of Nekromantik fame.

The subject of death is rarely exposed or investigated with any sort of tangible certainty. Possibly in an effort to diminish its ominous threat, the topic is often ignored. Or sometimes it is romanticized, with fabrications of some angelic getaway just waiting for us. But, in reality, it is a looming question mark that has no definite answers.
Nacho Cerda is a courageous director that doesn't back down from these notions. This release actually has three short movies

~Awakening--This is only like 7 minutes long, and it deals almost entirely with spirituality. It is beautifully shot with kind of a twilight zone feel.

~Aftermath--It deals with the physicality of death. It is extremely grotesque, plus the special effects are incredibly realistic as some cadavers get sliced up and some...uh,...sick stuff happens. Really sick.

~Genesis--This final one deals with the emptiness that is left behind after a lover passes away. This guy has some issues letting go.

Total running time is about an hour and a half. They are all superbly shot in a very artistic manner. You might not always be delighted by this artistic expression. They contain no dialogue, just stark, black and white images that will supplant all your expectations. Get ready to barf, another super-sick recommendation I got from M.

This DVD consists of three short films by Nacho Cerda. Each concerns a death theme and are best viewed in order. "The Awakening" is a very short black and white student film the director made early in his career. It basically illustrates the moments one experiences at the time of death. The print used shows a little wear and tear but not enough to really distract from the viewing experience. The second and most sought after is "Aftermath". This film is notorious for its lengthy sequence concerning a female corpse and the morgue worker who is really into his job. Well done camera work, interesting visuals throughout and a seriously creepy feel make this the best of the three if you can handle the subject matter. It is extremely graphic. The third film is "Genesis" and it concerns a man grieving over the loss of his wife. He spends most of his time creating a life-like sculpture of her and soon realizes that there is more to this work of art than just clay. "Genesis" is easily the least of the three films and reminds me more of Asian films like "Tetsuo". The DVD has many extras, most notably, commentary by the director and an interview with Jorg Buttgereit of "Nekromantik" fame. I would think that anyone who is into Jorg's films would certainly like this, for everyone else, if you are able to handle the extreme taboos of "Aftermath" give it a shot.

Of the three short films here, I only enjoyed "Aftermath." "The Awakening" is a shoestring student film, and "Genesis," while beautifully shot, bored me.

"Aftermath," however, which explores that taboo subject of necrophilia, is a seriously depraved short film. A demented coroner indulges in his fetish with a recently-arrived corpse, and his violent sexual urges build to a frenzy (the scene is both gory and sad, since Cerda focuses on the poor woman's face, highlighting the utter violation of the act).

The ending doesn't quite fit -- and though they get most of the autopsy procedures right, there are a few mistakes (I don't know how they do it in Spain, but in America you don't make the Y incision with a butcher knife!) -- but this is a must for the extreme horror crowd, and it's probably one of the few films you'll see that will make you want to vomit and cry at the same time.

Aftermath is the best known of the 3 short films here. An interesting and artistic treatment of extreme subject matter. If you are a fan of hardcore horror this is a must but definitely not for the casual horror fan.

Awakening is Cerda's student film. While its low resource origins are apparant, it is still engaging.

Genesis is a truly beautiful film about death, rebirth, and sacrifice.

For gorehounds, fans of extreme violence and anyone else with an eye for the grotesque. The thing is though, Aftermath is a beautifully shot and very slick and polished short film. The subject matter and content can be considered gross and unwatchable by some but it is handled as a genuine work of art. It is coupled with two other shorts(the follow up Genesis and another short the director made in college). Recommended for all that can handle it, highly recommended for fans of extreme horror.

I have had read a lot of review about this movie but frankly I was disappointed. It is gory for the sake of being gory but unfortunately the effects are only mediocre.
So absolutely no "shock" effect. It is a cult film so it's a must have for collectors of the genre out-there.

What happens when you die? What was the first thing you thought of when you read that question? Most people would immediately think about whether there is a Heaven or Hell. "Aftermath", the controversial 30 minute short from Spanish director Nacho Cerdà takes a look at (in graphic detail) what happens to the body after death.

The second short film in a trilogy, "Aftermath" is easily the best and hardest to watch. The others include "The Awakening" which deals with the first part of death, the process of dying. "Aftermath" being the second, explores what happens to the body after death. The third film, "Genesis", looks at the affect death has on the surviving family/friends.

This powerful film is not for the easily offended or those with a weak stomach. There is no dialogue and primarily takes place in an actual morgue. "Aftermath" will make you question how you want your body handled after death and it will open your eyes to the horror that is present in the world. Cerdà decided to make a film that covered both issues when I suppose he could have stuck to one. Although this is only 30 minutes, after the second act you will feel as if you have been watching for hours. That is if you make it to the second act. Make no mistake, this is 30 minutes of the raw, uncompromising reality of Autopsy's.

That being said...there are some things you should keep in mind while watching in order to understand, respect and ultimately enjoy what Nacho Cerdà has put together. You have to take into account the cinematography, the fact there is no spoken dialogue, the soundtrack and the moral questions it brings out of you. Cerdà did an AMAZING job with the filming using slow moving camera work mixed with an eerie classical soundtrack. Speaking of sound, the sound effects were that of a big budget film. The clarity and realness was nearly more disgusting and frightening than the action on screen. I cringed more from the sound than the visuals at times.

This film makes the viewer think about what happens after death. Most people may think their soul leaves them and their "temple" aka body gets laid quietly to rest. They don't think about what goes on between the time of passing and when the body is six feet under or cremated. They certainly don't think about how the autopsy will go or what will happen with their organs if they are an organ donor. The first person doing the autopsy seems to have no care in the world for the body he is mutilating; however, you later realize that he is just trying to do his job (quickly) and get out. I would be the same way. Wouldn't you? Then you're left to realize the second character, meticulously played by Pep Tosar, is really the sicko.

The second short film in a trilogy, "Aftermath" is easily the best and hardest to watch. The others include "The Awakening" which deals with the first part of death, the process of dying. "Aftermath" being the second, explores what happens to the body after death. The third film, "Genesis", looks at the affect death has on the surviving family/friends.

"Aftermath" may be a lot more than most people can handle, but if you can put aside the "shock" of seeing a graphic autopsy and sickening necrophilia what you are left with is an important film that begs the viewer to confront their thoughts of what happens after you die. A powerful film.

[...]

Nacho Cerda's Aftermath appalled and impressed a number of international horror and arthouse fans searching the bootleg video circuit thanks to a striking combination of beautiful cinematography and thoroughly stomach-churning content. It also became an instant calling card for Spanish director Nacho Cerda, whose three films contained on this DVD - termed "The Death Trilogy" here, though that's really where the connection ends - are small gems of silent mood and provocation. The real gem on this dvd is Aftermath, you really can't go wrong with this film. The corpses are pretty much on the money aesthetically and the disrespectful manner in which they are handled, gutted, packed back up with a skin flap over a random gutpile and mashed down like an overpacked suitcase will make many viewers queasy. It truly is a disturbing short film. Before the showstopping Aftermath, Cerda crafted a shorter, far more subtle film called The Awakening (not cited as prominently as its more famous companion films on the packaging but a good place to start). Swift and effective, this black and white short involves a student who awakens from dozing off in a classroom, and well I'm not going to ruin it for others but I thought it was interesting. It's very cheap looking but it's still great, it's like a twilight zone episode or something. Aftermath is a feast for the eyes of gore lovers. Pep Tosar plays the necrophiliac morgue worker who admires the body of a recently deceased female after everyone else has left for the night, he then proceeds to slice her open, takes photographs and then does some unspeakable things to the corpse. The timing is only a mere 30 minutes and is lacking any spoken dialogue, the film is very short on story. Aside form a couple quick bits out side of the operating room, the film doesn't concern itself with story details; it already knows exactly what it wants to show you. Really sick stuff and very well done and artfully made with some nice cinematography and good use of classical music. Genesis which veers away from attention-grabbing excess of the previous short and instead tackles a somber take on the Pygmalian/Galatea myth. Despondent over the death of his wife, a sculptor (Tosar again) decides to create a statue of her likeness. However, he becomes puzzled and tormented when the statue begins to bleed. Genesis was shot in a gorgeous way; the camera-movement is slow and the camera shots are crisp and graphic. Again there is zero dialog, but the film thrives with just one silent, talented actor. And I can't forget about the music, it's absolutely perfect and it fits with the cinematography 100%. Genesis I believe is more fantasy than horror, but it held my attention firmly as would a horror movie. Cerda also participates throughout the DVD, offering commentaries for each film; packed with information about both the production aspects and artistic aspirations for each project, they're enjoyable tracks. Cerda also returns for a 45-minute audio interview for Aftermath, while a Making of Aftermath featurette clocking in at half an hour features some astonishing behind-the-scenes footage. Then Cerda is joined for a Spanish TV interview by Nekromantik director Jorg Buttgereit, Buttgereit shows his usual twisted sense of humor while discussing the approach to filming extreme subject matter. Finally you get storyboards for both color shorts and a long behind-the-scenes "Genesis" gallery, there are also a bunch of trailers for other sick Unearthed films. Overall I would have to say that this dvd comes highly recommended for hardcore horror fans but only if you have a hard stomach.

i went and saw this movie a cople of years ago,i went to a cinema that plays weird movies to see nekromantik and they had a special screening for
this movie called afthermath.I had never heard of this movie and was...
very pleased with this movie ! 1st, this movie has no dialogue, the musique
is classical (not my type) but very good.Mr Cerda is a very good filmaker,
the movie is like 30 minutes but its ok that way.The gore in this movie
is something you will never forget ! and wath this guy does to the cadavre
at the end....... you wont beleave your eyes !!!! This came out in like in 1997 and the dvd , almost 10 years latter is worth every penny !! Plenty of xtra, pakaging is a+, go buy it now !!!!!!