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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Oramunde remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you're a completist for early experimental cinema or really, really into people running around on rocks in veils. If you need a narrative or, you know, stuff to actually happen, skip it. It’s for the folks who like their art films to feel like a mood board from 1920.
The whole thing opens with a title card explaining this is a study on Mélisande. I’ve seen my share of weird shorts like The City of Tears, but this one is particularly committed to the bit. The veil is everywhere. It’s almost a character of its own, just flapping around in the ocean breeze like it’s trying to escape the movie.
Watching the protagonist hop across those rocks is… nerve-wracking. You’re just waiting for a slip. The train of her dress gets absolutely shredded by the jagged edges, which I guess is meant to symbolize her descent into despair or something? It just looked like a wardrobe disaster to me. 🌊
The mist over the hills is actually kind of pretty, in a gloomy way. It hides the background perfectly, which probably saved them a lot of money on set design. When she starts to stagger, the movie really leans into that melodramatic exhaustion that was all the rage back then.
Then there’s the hooded guy in the rowboat. He’s just sitting there. Waiting. It’s the most patient I’ve ever seen a boat rower in a film. He doesn't even look up while she’s having her breakdown on the shore. He’s got a schedule to keep, I guess.
It reminds me a bit of the pacing in Cora, where things just sort of exist in a vacuum. You aren’t supposed to ask how she got there or why she’s leaving with the grim reaper of rowing enthusiasts. You just watch the veil flutter.
The ending is… well, it ends. They row away into the calm bay, and the screen goes dark. I didn't feel a huge emotional punch, but I did feel like I’d just watched someone’s very intense art school project from a century ago. 🛶