Memorable, crazy movie

Beautiful, moving film.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is now already the third part of my little review series: Movies that are way better than you expect."Eden Log" is a completely underrated dark experimental science-fiction movie. It impresses with brilliant camera settings that give the movie an adventurous dark video game touch and a very artistic approach. The minimalist dialogues remind of other popular experimental movies like the brilliant pioneer work "Eraserhead". The dark and gripping atmosphere honour the French film noir genre at its best. Don't expect any horror moments, big fighting scenes or stunning special effects as this movie lives from its simplistic approach and dark and calm atmosphere. The acting is also very basic but overall great and especially Clovis Cornillac proves once again that he can play quite everything and is one of the best modern French actors out there. The story itself is indeed less important but has still some interesting philosophical touches and a minor twist in the end.This movie is a great gem for anybody that is interested in artistic avant-garde cinema and dark video games but doesn't fit to a larger audience because it is not commercial and quite unusual in every aspect. This movie happens to be experimental at all costs and is as unique as it is courageous, especially if you consider that this is the director's first full length movie. Even if this movie lacks of budget and commercial success, it is technically stunning and something vivid for the science-fiction genre that lives some difficulties and a downfall of popularity nowadays. If you like this movie, be sure to also check out the Swiss low budget gem "Cargo" or also the experimental "Valhalla Rising".The average on this site shows that many people adored while other completely hated it and the average is somewhere in between. But I sure you that it's nearly impossible to think the film is mediocre and that you either adore or hate it. No matter how you ultimately decide this movie may be an unforgettable flick for each one of you.

I checked the spoiler warning but there's no need. I defy anyone to make a coherent statement about anything in this film that would give anything away. There's no beginning, no middle and no end. Nothing is explained or makes sense on its own. I watched the French version with English subtitles, but I might as well have watched the Swahili version with subtitles in Esperanto. Worse yet, it's filmed in "seizure vision".The only good news is I have a new addition to my list of "Why the French should not be allowed to make science fiction movies" which include - Fantastic Planet, Le Jete, The Fifth Element, Immortal and Alphaville.

I just had to write a review of this after reading so many positive ones. The score this film gets is actually flattering. The positive reviews are hilarious!Spoilers ahead (as far as there is any plot to be spoiled)A guy wakes up in a cave, covered in mud, not remembering who he is. This scene takes long, has flashing lights and is very dark. He climbs to the ground from level -4 and the plot unfolds as he ascends.Some of the scenery looks nice but everything is too vague and disorientating. A lot looks like cheap building material (pipes, ropes, low tech stuff not befitting to the 'lab' he is supposedly in).The guy goes unconscious for four or five times, I lost count. He keeps walking towards lights but never arrives at them. You keep hoping the next scene will be a bit lighter but it never is. I could not really tell whether it was black and white or color because at this darkness there is no real difference.There are some interesting things in the plot... but the problem is there hardly is any plot at all. Let alone dialog, the guy hardly ever speaks. Even if you like long, dark, boring movies that have no plot or dialog about guys fumbling around in caves forever, you still should not watch this movie. And everyone giving a move that they had to fast-forward through a score over 3 is crazy!

The worse part of this film is how it was drawn out. The story could have been over with in less than thirty minutes. There are long scenes filled with silence and absolutely no action. The viewer will notice this problem after watching the first five minutes. It did not add to the film, instead it made it more boring. The same theme of using long scenes are continued throughout the film. Finally the viewer is rewarded for watching with a few lines of dialog. The story is very weak. Just accept that this was likely someone's dream put down on celluloid. I have to ask what ever happened to showing plots in films. It is visually a very depressing and dark film. The viewer is left with little to look at, little commentary and virtually no plot. This is an A, B, C movie. It does not explore the rest of the alphabet. It uses straight lines leading the viewer to the conclusion of it's mini-story. This film claims to be of the horror genre. I watched the film with a person who can't even sleep with the lights out. There was not the slightest twitch of fear in any of the scenes. How disappointing is that? I love sci-fi and there are so many good books waiting to be made into films. Why or how this one made it to completion is beyond me.