Gruenfeld
Experimental
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Fantasy, Horror, Short Films, 30-Oct-2024
A knight in an accursed and shattered world tempts fate with a mysterious song. Albert Birney’s “Gruenfeld” boards a medieval quest where fantasy is suddenly met by horror. Told from the deep voice of an anonymous narrator, we observe the weathered knight, Sir Garreth, as he desperately searches to cure his ailing beloved and their unborn. After he discovers a sacred musical composition said to cure the most ill using celestial forces, the knight sets off to perform the piece on a hill-side piano. But to Garreth’s misfortune, the performance instead opens a portal to a “distant place of unending rot.” Throughout the tale, Birney encompasses us in an ominous musical score while also offering horrific textures through practical gore and tightly composed visuals. It’s a certainty in style and genre observed from his other projects, “Strawberry Mansion” and “Tux and Fanny,” but a venture into a more hellish world. -JM. Director: Albert Birney. Cast: Albert Birney, Kristin Tata. Cinematography and Color: Tyler Davis. Score and Production Design: Samuel Garrett. Production Assistants: Nick Shamblott, Corey Hughes, Jaynell Aggrey.
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