https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/092939b8-c3cd-4006-b206-5486fcddd46d "Begotten is an experimental 1989 American film written and directed by E. Elias Merhige. It stars the largely unknown actors Brian Salzburg, Donna Dempsey, Stephen Charles Barry and members of Merhige's theatre company Theatreofmaterial. Its unconventional narrative depicts the suicide of a godlike figure and the births of Mother Earth and the Son of Earth, who undertake a journey across a dying world. Merhige directed two short film sequels: 2006's Din of Celestial Birds and 2022's Polia & Blastema: A Cosmic Opera. Merhige conceived the film as a dance piece for experimental theatre. Inspired by documentary footage of the aftermath of the bombing of Hiroshima, he decided on a full-length film. Begotten has a gritty visual style, intended to give the impression of damaged film stock which has been degraded through time and wear. As with the Hiroshima footage, Begotten is silent. After completion, Merhige spent two years trying to find a distributor. It debuted at the Montreal World Film Festival and later screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival, with the film critics Tom Luddy and Peter Scarlet in attendance. The two brought it to the attention of the critic Susan Sontag, whose enthusiastic praise was instrumental to its eventual release. It was ignored by most mainstream critics and the few reviews were polarized. Begotten is infused with multiple mystic and religious themes. Critics have debated if it reflects popular attitudes towards the origins of life and religion at the time of its production and portrays creation through the mythic and religious traditions. Some writers have interpreted the film as an examination of the cycle of life and mankind's relationship with nature. Other themes include the Nietzschean view of order and chaos, societal norms and the perception of reality. " - wikipedia Tue, 14 Apr 2026 19:15:50 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://tankie.tube https://tankie.tube/lazy-static/avatars/3ba3ff73-a8b6-49c9-add8-9653ef090c7f.webp https://tankie.tube/videos/watch/092939b8-c3cd-4006-b206-5486fcddd46d All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://tankie.tube/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.