Flirting with Darkness

An experimental, surreal short horror film written and directed by Valterri Toivanen and starring himself and Hanna Ukkonen.

This short is about an unnamed young man (Toivanen) as goes on a journey on foot, by himself. He appears to be all alone, no other human to be seen. Beginning from a beach, he walks through the woods, before reaching what appears to be an abandoned factory. Throughout his journey, he will encounter a variety of strange and sinister objects such as a mask, a book on the occult, a candlestick holder and a statue of an angel. All these seem to be guiding the man somewhere. Where though? And why?

Filming was executed in black-and-white, which helps create a sinister atmosphere, an atmosphere that is further supported by an ominous score that includes sounds of a pipe organ. There are no spoken words, instead texts and title cards are utilised in order to provide hints regarding the story and to create some dialogue. The film is separated into chapters by the animated appearance of tarot cards, each symbolising the chapter's title that has names such as 'Faith' and 'Judgement'. The creative sound effects are another element that adds to the dark atmosphere and they include static sounds and a sinister laughter. Acknowledgement also goes to the way the filmmakers make a flame appear in colour.

If one wants to comprehend what they see here, what exactly is going on and what the meaning is regarding the occurrences and the objects, then they might struggle. The man's indentity is a mystery and the significance of the objects is not explained, which is not a bad thing, as it gives the viewer the opportunity to make their own conclusions.

Toivanen's character is a guy who appears to be confused and angry and to be searching for something. Dressed in black and with black makeup under his eyes, he resembles a Goth person. As he does not speak, understanding him can only be done through his actions, as he interacts with the objects that he encountersand the title cards that provide clues regarding his feelings. Toivanen's performance is light, with limited emotion.

The themes in this film are hardly joyful. The film contains quotes from Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, a poem that deals with death and hell and death appears to be part of this short in the form of a woman (Ukkonen) and the journey that the man embarks on could be representing hell due to the objects that are encountered and the sinister events that take place. The feelings of isolation and desperation are present and religion is also part of this film.

Those who appreciate experimental and surreal films are the ones who are most likely to be the biggest fans of this short. Those who expect a coherent narrative and messages that are clearly evident might not find this film to their liking. Overall, this is an interesting achievement.