Not since the arrival of Vincenzo Natali's Cube in 1997 has Canada produced a genre talent as distinct as Firas Momani proves himself with The Adder's Bite. Momani's first stab at live action - he has two previous animated shorts to his credit - takes its inspiration from Nietzsche but I certainly don't recall anything quite like this in Thus Spake Zarathustra. A world of bizarre creatures lives nestled, hidden just out of site where they ... feed? mate? hunt? Momani takes the surrealism of peak era Lynch and weds it to the gothic sensibilities of Dark City era Alex Proyas with some disturbingly squishy effects thrown in for good measure. Yow.
The Adder's Bite screens at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Short Cuts Canada Programme 3 on September 12th and 13th.
The Adder's Bite screens at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Short Cuts Canada Programme 3 on September 12th and 13th.