A Spell To Ward Off Darkness

Following musician Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe from an Estonian hippie commune through the forests of Kainuu to a metal club in Norway, Ben Russell and Ben Rivers' hypnotic ethno-fiction traverses documentary, spiritual road movie and black metal film. Extended takes, stillness of the forests and a climactic concert sequence transform the film into a ritual experience in which music functions as a threshold to the beyond.

Ben Russell is widely regarded as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary experimental documentary cinema. Working primarily on 16mm film, his practice blends ethnography, psychedelia and music. His work has been presented at major institutions and festivals including the Venice Film Festival, the Berlinale, Locarno, MoMA, Tate Modern and documenta. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008.

Directors: Ben Russell, Ben Rivers | 2013 | 93 min | France, Estonia, Germany | English | No subtitles