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3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Vers l'abîme remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly? It depends on how much patience you have for 1930s pacing. If you’re the type of person who needs to see everything spelled out, you’re going to hate this. It’s moody, it’s a bit fragmented, and sometimes the characters just stop talking to stare at walls. But if you dig that old, grainy atmosphere, there’s a weird charm here that you don't get in modern blockbusters. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Kansas City Princess, though, you know, much grimmer.
Brigitte Helm is in this, which is basically the only reason I clicked play. She has this way of looking at the camera that makes you think she knows exactly how little the script matters. The rest of the cast is just... there. Floating around, being dramatic, shouting about things that happened ten minutes ago.
The lighting feels like it’s trying to hide the fact that they ran out of budget for the sets. There’s a scene about halfway through—you’ll know it, the one in the study—where the shadow work is just bizarre. It’s like they were trying to be artistic and ended up just making the room look like it was haunted by a very dim lightbulb. 💡
I kept waiting for the story to lock into place. It never really does. It just sort of drifts along until it decides to stop. There’s no big, satisfying 'aha' moment. It’s more like a sigh. Kinda like the feeling you get watching Lilies of the Field, where you just go with the flow even if the flow is heading toward a cliff.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even really a 'good' movie by any standard metric. But it’s got texture. It feels like a real object you found in an attic, covered in dust and slightly broken. Sometimes, that’s enough to keep me watching while I’m doing the dishes. Just don't go in expecting a polished narrative. It’s a mess, but at least it’s a sincere mess.