Each episode of The Next Reel Film Podcast is a part of a series or collection of films brought together by time, idea, or contributor. Looking to build a great watchlist? You can’t go wrong with starting on a Next Reel Series.
We return to our Soviet Sci-Fi series with a film that’s more of a fairy tale featuring a young man who can breathe underwater who falls for the daughter of a pearl diver. It’s Vladimir Chebotaryov’s and Gennadiy Kazanskiy’s 1961 film “Amphibian Man.”
How does this absurdist tale explore Soviet society during the days of glasnost and the move toward the breakdown of the USSR? Do the Lynchian elements help the film? And what’s up with that cake? For answers to these questions and more, tune in to this week’s show!
What works and what doesn’t work in this film? What makes the interesting and sometimes dated effects work so well for us? And which version should you watch? Tune in to this week’s show to get answers to these questions and more!
How well do the filmmakers use the location, cinematography, and music to create a tone for this film? Does the film make sense once the secrets are revealed? How well does this film work as social commentary of life under the Soviet rule in the 70s? Tune in to this week’s show to get answers to these questions and more!