One of the great challenges in telling any story is knowing for certain when it has ended.
Far too many authors and screenwriters have wasted an otherwise winning tale by going on a bit longer than necessary. For whatever reason, these creatives stake out a position which suggests everything need be wrapped up perfectly with a bow in the grand finale when the truth is the central story – if it is good enough – is functionally all that matters. The desire to give each character some kind of pivotal closing scene should not be a requirement especially when such scenes really only wander into other concerns; once all of the main points have been addressed, then – simply put – it's time for the maker and the audience to move along to something else. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen; and great works have been turned into ‘just good enough’ as a consequence.
Life isn’t as easy to quantify. Endings come when we least expect them, and their arrival is truly the catalyst for another whole story to begin. While there will always be unresolved matters no matter how full one life has been lived, the hope for each and every mortal being should be to attend to that which matters most in those closing days because other business – tangential issues that may’ve seemed important at the time – were never worth the import we sometimes gave them. Of course, I realize this might be easy advice from someone sitting at the PC plunking on keys in the – ahem – “prime of life,” but the point I’m making here is that messes are far more the norm than is the orderly. Stuff happens. It always will. But such stuff needn’t destroy everything.
This is why I found Quarxx’s Pandemonium – a 2023 rumination on what quite literally might immediately follow life into the afterlife – such an interesting experience. While it both is and isn’t a complete story – and while it both is and isn’t an interconnected anthology exploring a handful of men and women whose existences intersect over a life-ending event – it remains an incredible potpourri of ideas. Did we die? How did we die? How can we be sure we’ve died? Will we be judged? Who will do the judging? Will it be ourselves – who else would know us best – or is it a system that allows for no compassion for the choices we made whatsoever? Must the universe be so rigid?
Anyone whose shared space with us on this journey through our days knows that some rules aren’t made to be broken, and Pandemonium tries to paint a picture of what might be next in store for all of us … whether we like it or not.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“After realizing he has died at the scene of a car crash, Nathan descends into the depths of hell, where he is doomed to experience the pain of tortured souls along the way.”
Far too many authors and screenwriters have wasted an otherwise winning tale by going on a bit longer than necessary. For whatever reason, these creatives stake out a position which suggests everything need be wrapped up perfectly with a bow in the grand finale when the truth is the central story – if it is good enough – is functionally all that matters. The desire to give each character some kind of pivotal closing scene should not be a requirement especially when such scenes really only wander into other concerns; once all of the main points have been addressed, then – simply put – it's time for the maker and the audience to move along to something else. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen; and great works have been turned into ‘just good enough’ as a consequence.
Life isn’t as easy to quantify. Endings come when we least expect them, and their arrival is truly the catalyst for another whole story to begin. While there will always be unresolved matters no matter how full one life has been lived, the hope for each and every mortal being should be to attend to that which matters most in those closing days because other business – tangential issues that may’ve seemed important at the time – were never worth the import we sometimes gave them. Of course, I realize this might be easy advice from someone sitting at the PC plunking on keys in the – ahem – “prime of life,” but the point I’m making here is that messes are far more the norm than is the orderly. Stuff happens. It always will. But such stuff needn’t destroy everything.
This is why I found Quarxx’s Pandemonium – a 2023 rumination on what quite literally might immediately follow life into the afterlife – such an interesting experience. While it both is and isn’t a complete story – and while it both is and isn’t an interconnected anthology exploring a handful of men and women whose existences intersect over a life-ending event – it remains an incredible potpourri of ideas. Did we die? How did we die? How can we be sure we’ve died? Will we be judged? Who will do the judging? Will it be ourselves – who else would know us best – or is it a system that allows for no compassion for the choices we made whatsoever? Must the universe be so rigid?
Anyone whose shared space with us on this journey through our days knows that some rules aren’t made to be broken, and Pandemonium tries to paint a picture of what might be next in store for all of us … whether we like it or not.
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“After realizing he has died at the scene of a car crash, Nathan descends into the depths of hell, where he is doomed to experience the pain of tortured souls along the way.”
Having spent a fair amount of my high school, college, and post-education life involved with theater, I appreciate what a series of good scenes with great dialogue can do for any piece; and this is one of the greatest reasons I’d encourage folks to check out Pandemonium. Though what emerges from the production is a bit of a mixed bag so far as complete and concise storytelling goes, writer and director Quarxx – a critically acclaimed storyteller whose career suggests a fascination with big ideas – takes the audience on a journey into the depths of several mortal souls. Along the way, he posits what an afterlife might be life for a few of them, and he even underscores at a few stops that reality on this side of death might be a greater punishment for some.
Logically, Pandemonium is a flick that’s difficult to talk about because to do so would utterly spoil a good deal of what makes it tick like a clock. Like life can do, the film opens looking like it’s going in one direction only then to veer sharply into another … and another … and another. (I said “like life can do,” and I meant it.) Two men meet on a mountain highway in the tense moments following a crash. As they talk, it becomes clear that neither of them did, in fact, survive, as they eventually see their bodies in states of disrepair. But when apparitions of the Heavenly Gates and a doorway leading elsewhere suddenly appear, they both accept that decisions need to be made; lo and behold, it’s at this point that Quarxx throws another twist into their story, meaning that their Fates might not be so clear-cut after all.
The narrative problem with an experiment like Pandemonium – and make no mistake that it ultimately is one big experimental film – is that it takes a reasonably rare path to its finish. Viewers already know going into a story about the Afterlife that not all questions are likely to be answered, so there’s nothing learned other than the answers to these fateful few featured might ask, and even those reveals are a bit inconclusive. While a case could be make that all of this is intended to be Nathan’s (played by Hugo Dillon) punishment for a choice he made that doomed his soul, all that does is effectively create a format for which more chapters could follow. If the point Quarxx is trying to make is that life never ends, then so be it … but must the beyond always be as dour as was existence? Seems an easy choice to me.
Plus … the flick features one of the finest and damn near batsh#t crazy kid’s stories of recent record. (Sorry, folks, not gonna spoil it because it has multiple levels to what it all means here, but Chapter Two is bonkers … in a great way.)
Logically, Pandemonium is a flick that’s difficult to talk about because to do so would utterly spoil a good deal of what makes it tick like a clock. Like life can do, the film opens looking like it’s going in one direction only then to veer sharply into another … and another … and another. (I said “like life can do,” and I meant it.) Two men meet on a mountain highway in the tense moments following a crash. As they talk, it becomes clear that neither of them did, in fact, survive, as they eventually see their bodies in states of disrepair. But when apparitions of the Heavenly Gates and a doorway leading elsewhere suddenly appear, they both accept that decisions need to be made; lo and behold, it’s at this point that Quarxx throws another twist into their story, meaning that their Fates might not be so clear-cut after all.
The narrative problem with an experiment like Pandemonium – and make no mistake that it ultimately is one big experimental film – is that it takes a reasonably rare path to its finish. Viewers already know going into a story about the Afterlife that not all questions are likely to be answered, so there’s nothing learned other than the answers to these fateful few featured might ask, and even those reveals are a bit inconclusive. While a case could be make that all of this is intended to be Nathan’s (played by Hugo Dillon) punishment for a choice he made that doomed his soul, all that does is effectively create a format for which more chapters could follow. If the point Quarxx is trying to make is that life never ends, then so be it … but must the beyond always be as dour as was existence? Seems an easy choice to me.
Plus … the flick features one of the finest and damn near batsh#t crazy kid’s stories of recent record. (Sorry, folks, not gonna spoil it because it has multiple levels to what it all means here, but Chapter Two is bonkers … in a great way.)
Otherwise, audiences will have to make what they will of the whole affair. Quarxx seems to be leaning in one direction at one point while pushing us toward something a bit different elsewhere, so I’m split on to what he exactly intended to convey. The director talks heavily about guilt in one of the supplementals on the disc; and I think that’s likely about as valid a central theme running through all of his stylish visuals and weaving plotlines. Still, if a simple stupid mistake by one of Hell’s slavish executioners can set the vicious cycle in motion all over again, shouldn’t the Devil himself have a better recruiting strategy?
Lastly, I think it’s also safe to suggest that Pandemonium – in a fair and impartial universe – should be the kind of project that opens doors for a filmmaker like Quarxx. While his catalogue isn’t all that large (IMDB.com lists only a handful of stuff, much of it short films), he would be the kind of auteur I as a film scholar would probably seek out and explore more from based entirely on watching this one. There’s a freshness in here – ironic, especially given the subject matter – and I’d be apt – as I hope are wider audiences – to want to see more from him. It’s rare for a tale to be both well made and make one think and want more; though Pandemonium isn’t exactly the type of intellectual property around which to build sequels, there’s still a great deal of theatrical magic on display … and I do hope Quarxx continues weaving spells at every opportunity.
Pandemonium (2023) was produced by Transgressive Production. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert … wowza. I love Quarxx’s command with the visuals throughout this whole production. It looks great – there is some relatively simple effects work here and there, but it’s still impressive – and it might be one of the best reasons to give this 90-minute yarn a viewing. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Well, there are a few on here – short vignettes focuses on the production, mostly, but not enough on messaging – and I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more. They’re good … but, alas, they’re just as incomplete as is this curious journey.
Recommended.
Pandemonium (2023) is the kind of project that’ll likely frustrate as many folks as it creates fans; and that’s because – in fairness – it really isn’t a completed whole. It’s a curious assembly of good ideas and some killer small performances hanging loosely by the threads of the interconnected anthology. Still, those who rally for a bit of experimentation in storytelling should find plenty to enjoy in here even if they’re disenfranchised with the results. The afterlife being what it is (meaning elusive and controversial), this one still managed to march the battle uphill and say something about the journey; and that’s impressive.
In the interest of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Pandemonium (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
Lastly, I think it’s also safe to suggest that Pandemonium – in a fair and impartial universe – should be the kind of project that opens doors for a filmmaker like Quarxx. While his catalogue isn’t all that large (IMDB.com lists only a handful of stuff, much of it short films), he would be the kind of auteur I as a film scholar would probably seek out and explore more from based entirely on watching this one. There’s a freshness in here – ironic, especially given the subject matter – and I’d be apt – as I hope are wider audiences – to want to see more from him. It’s rare for a tale to be both well made and make one think and want more; though Pandemonium isn’t exactly the type of intellectual property around which to build sequels, there’s still a great deal of theatrical magic on display … and I do hope Quarxx continues weaving spells at every opportunity.
Pandemonium (2023) was produced by Transgressive Production. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert … wowza. I love Quarxx’s command with the visuals throughout this whole production. It looks great – there is some relatively simple effects work here and there, but it’s still impressive – and it might be one of the best reasons to give this 90-minute yarn a viewing. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? Well, there are a few on here – short vignettes focuses on the production, mostly, but not enough on messaging – and I would’ve liked to have seen a bit more. They’re good … but, alas, they’re just as incomplete as is this curious journey.
Recommended.
Pandemonium (2023) is the kind of project that’ll likely frustrate as many folks as it creates fans; and that’s because – in fairness – it really isn’t a completed whole. It’s a curious assembly of good ideas and some killer small performances hanging loosely by the threads of the interconnected anthology. Still, those who rally for a bit of experimentation in storytelling should find plenty to enjoy in here even if they’re disenfranchised with the results. The afterlife being what it is (meaning elusive and controversial), this one still managed to march the battle uphill and say something about the journey; and that’s impressive.
In the interest of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray of Pandemonium (2023) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
RSS Feed