Humans are fascinated by good, evil and the whole concept of morality; so much so that we created entire religions based on it. It's the reason why we love thrillers. 'The mind of a killer' has even become a popular genre in itself due to its compelling and dark exploration of human psychology that taps into our morbid curiosity, seeking to understand the motives and complexities behind heinous acts. Shows and films like Mindhunter, Silence of the Lambs & Black Bird reflect personal and societal fears and anxieties, serving as a haunting mirror that forces us to confront the darker aspects of our own humanity, something that we can't explore in real life because, well, laws.
A 2000 film took this micro-genre to a new level becoming a radical cult classic. The Cell is a science fiction psychological thriller and the directorial debut of Indian Director Tarsem Singh Dhandwar. The film is a surreal journey into the psyche of a serial killer played by Vincent D’Onofrio that holds the key to saving the killer’s final, trapped victim who's still alive. Making the journey is young a psychologist played by Jennifer Lopez who has been experimenting with a radical new therapy that can make you enter a person's unconscious.
But how this journey was depicted is what makes the film stand out. Although the plot involves chasing and apprehending a serial killer, the core of The Cell lies in delving into his mind and comprehending his motivations. The film can be seen as more of a dark fantasy than a traditional thriller, blurring the boundaries between dreams and reality. It also explores the manifestation of trauma and how it might turn someone from a child who went through something horrible to a cold-blooded killer. However, it doesn't do it in the formulaic "my mom left me so I kill women" kinda way that we often see in thrillers, but rather takes the Jungian route using the language of cryptic symbolism that our subconscious speaks in, in our dreams.
At the heart of the film lies Tarsem's exceptional use of dramatic visuals and set design. His inspiration from gothic aesthetics is evident throughout the movie. The opening scene, set in the otherworldly landscapes of Namib-Naukluft National Park in Namibia, creates an ethereal and surreal atmosphere that perfectly complements the nightmarish tone of the film. Singh deliberately chose these locations to evoke an artificial feeling, almost like a different planet, which adds to the surrealism of the story all created with no CGI, just photographic manipulation.
The costumes had a commanding presence of their own. Japanese art director, costume designer, and graphic designer Eiko Ishioka was recruited for the film after she received Academy Award recognition for her work in Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Tarsem fell in love with her extravagant costume design in the film so deeply that he exclusively worked with Eiko for all of his future projects - The Cell, The Fall, Immortals and Mirror Mirror which was her last film as a costume designer.
Tarsem was born in Jalandhar, Punjab and had always wanted to make visual films. He started by shooting music videos and won a Grammy for directing R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion. In his latest work, which is the music video for Lady Gaga's 911, the director recreated his poetic dreamscapes inspired by the 1969 Armenian film Colour of Pomegranates that's worshipped by filmmakers and art directors.
Over the course of his career, his vision led to a distinct artistic identity that somehow always stayed an inch away from the spotlight. Indian filmmakers are praised for their arthouse cinema and naturalism. Perhaps that's why Tarsem's work was obscured against the cultural assumptions made about artists.
Today, 'cinematic' is just a preset away, so it can be easy to undermine films that fall under the 'visually stunning' category. But Tarsem's films are far more than just pleasing to the eye; they are meticulously constructed visual poems, brimming with metaphors, transcending the structures of narrative films, depending, rather, on movement, rhythm & visual compositions for storytelling. Communicating in a unique visual vernacular, his body of work has defiantly broken the dichotomy we believe exists between substance and style.
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
"The Great Indian Acid Trip": How An Indian Film Became A Psychedelic Cult Classic
Before 'Class', Ashim Ahluwalia’s Debut Feature Explored India’s C-Grade Film Industry
Why A Classic 1984 Film Still Remains Relevant In Its Dissection Of Upper-Class Guilt