Dark Star: HR Gigers World

Most documentaries are so focused on capturing "true" moments they seem to forget some of the basic language of cinema and strictly conform to the language of documentary film making. While Giger's welt does capture plenty of private, intimate moments it remembers that documentaries are still films and thereby a visual medium. This story is told with a visual flare that is seldom seen in films of its kind. When was the last time you saw crane shots and aerial photography juxtaposed with Cinema Vertie? 

Giger's Welt gives us an inside look at an artist who has created imagery that has terrified audiences for close to 40 years. How is Ridley Scott's Alien 36 years old? Seriously? Sweet Jesus, I feel old. Anyway, where was I? Ok... H.R. Giger is most remembered for his design of the Xenomorph but his work has been used in Sci Fi, Horror, Tattoos, Fetish Art and most corners of pop culture, or more accurately pop sub culture for the last 50 years.

You are certainly familiar with the man's work but if you are like me I assume you know very little about the man. Other than the ability to immediately identify one of his works and my fear of saying his name out loud I never really considered the man behind the nightmare. If you told me he had been working out of a mental institution since the late 1960's, I wouldn't have been surprised. You could have said that he was a teacher from Estonia who worked in secrecy and that would have made sense. I would've never guessed that he was a quite and kind man who reflected an inner turmoil through his art that was strikingly personal. His work always felt so cold and detached that I never considered it was made with heart, I always assumed it came from a place of sexual repression and anger.

I was wrong about the man and his art. Belinda Sallin gives us a beautifully made portrait of a complicated man whose work is as stunning as it is frighting. The film will be released in theaters May 15, 2015 (to see if it will be playing near you click here) and will be released on VOD August 18, 2015.  Do yourself a favor and check this film out.