A 1989 movie filmed in harsh black and white with minimal sound and no music. In fact for most of the film the only sound is crickets chirping. Created by the
same man who later made
Shadow of the Vampire with John Malcovich and Willam Defoe. There have been many interpretations, and even the back of the
box gives a description that is unsure of itself. It's been dubbed "One of the most important movies in history" and has been said that it "makes
Eraserhead
look like
Ernest Saves Christmas." Truly bizarre, it is one of those films one cannot forget.
SPOILER:
The only thing that is inarguable is that in the beginning God kills himself and from that is born Mother Earth. She later gives birth to the Son of Earth (Flesh on
Bone) who is infinitly frightened and quivering and convulsing. The events after that are wide open to interpretation. In my opinion the cloaked figures capture
the Son of Earth (i.e. man-kind) and repeatedly try to kill him. After each attempt he rises from the dead, much like Christ was purported to do. They eventually
find Mother Earth and tie Flesh on Bone to her with a rope, leash-style. Man is eternally connected to nature. They finally succeed in killing Flesh on Bone by
beating his head in (depending on how you interpretted an earlier scene this may be the second time they tried this method) and they kill Mother Earth also
(actually they kill Mother Earth before the kill the Son of Earth. With Mother Earth dead life begans to die as well. But Mother Earth is like Flesh on Bone and is
not forever dead. She returns and life regrows. I think what it means (if anything) is that man is a species very difficult to be rid of, but once we destroy
nature we also will die, and when we finally die nature will be reborn.
Very weird movie. Rated NC-17 and probably not for everyone.