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There can be few stranger tales of cinematic amour fou than the one which plays out in Vanishing Waves .
A very international production (director Kristina Buožytė is Lithuanian; there were also contributions from Latvia, Canada, Finland and France), it addresses universal themes of desire and loss through a fascinating premise. Research scientist Lukas is remotely connected to a coma victim, acting as a receiver for their neutral data. On the second connection, he’s locking lips with a beautiful young woman; by the third, the two are rolling about a wooden floor, buck naked. Unsurprisingly, he keeps mum...
The passionate, mostly mute bond that develops is displayed in avant garde erotica; in one scene, the lovers tumble into a pile of copulating bodies whose flesh is merging together. In another, their gleeful delight in physical sensation sees them pouring food over one another.
There’s a spectre at the feast, though, as Lukas increasingly senses a third presence... It’s a compelling mystery, and when the answers come, they’re devastating, with disturbing implications. Beautifully shot, this is a surreal head trip which simultaneously intrigues the intellect, engages the emotions and sets the pupils dilating.
Ian Berriman twitter.com/ianberriman
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