Representing
the fourth dimension in 2D is quite the daunting challenge. Fortunately, none of the filmmakers participating
in a new hipster sci-fi anthology take it seriously. Nor will annoying glasses be necessary when
watching The Fourth Dimension (trailer here), three short
films produced and assembled by Vice and
Grolsch Film Works (cheers, mate), which screens again this afternoon as part
of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
In
the opening The Lotus Community Workshop,
Harmony Korine (yes, but don’t panic) takes us to a world much like our own,
where Val Kilmer plays a low rent motivational speaker named Val Kilmer. Addressing church groups in roller rinks, he
passes off ego-centric tripe as New Agey pearls of wisdom. Occasionally hinting at the metaphysical, Lotus seems more like a confessional
piece from Kilmer, admitting to his fans: “I realize I was once Iceman in Top Gun and now I’m kind of a slob, but
at least I still don’t have to work at a real job.” This is a case where brevity is definitely
Korine’s ally. Given the relatively
short running time, the self-referential joke maintains its novelty better than
one might expect.
Making
a bit of a concession to the film’s umbrella premise, Alexey Fedorchenko’s Chronoeye involves indirect time
travel. Employing some analog-style
technology, a misanthropic Russian scientist (is there any other kind?) is able
to glimpse into the past. However, there
is an attractive neighbor above him to remind viewers not to lose sight of the
present. Fedorchenko (probably best
known for the strikingly austere road movie Silent Souls) maintains a fable-like vibe, preventing Chronoeye from descending into the realm of romantic cliché.
Jan
Kwiecinski’s Fawns might come closest
to revealing the fourth dimension, since it induces Armageddon. Much like Abel Ferrara’s meandering 4:44 Last Day on Earth, doomsday vaguely
involves global warmish-ing, but here it is more Biblical. A cataclysmic flood has led to worldwide
evacuation, but a group of Polish slackers are too cool to pay attention. Instead, they careen about a provincial town,
hinting at the sexual tensions within their group. Suddenly though, the end of the world takes a
serious turn for the aimless youth. Frankly,
none of the Kwiecinski’s characters are particularly well defined, but as a
mood piece, it is quite eerie.
