Imagine the Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky were making 'Stalker' today on DV and had an 'El Mariachi' like budget to do it on. That's what Radiant made me think of. Particularly the way it uses water. Like Tarkovsky, this movie is in love with the use of water in different ways to connect the viewer with a since of reality and nature. The image of filling up a hazmat suit with water for storage in the desert is amazing. I had to laugh when I read one reviewer here complain that the water pouring out of the characters mouths was a bad special effect. It's my favorite moment in the movie. It's clearly supposed to be stylized and not "Realistic". It's like complaining that the violence in Kill Bill is bad because it's not natural. It's very Japanese and it's the thing that makes the climax of the original Japanese 'Ring' so much more exciting that the American version. Because when the girl comes out of the TV she REALLY comes out of the fringing' TV! I've read some positive reviews for this movie and some negative ones and I have to say that if you see Sci-Fi in the description and you're expecting mainstream, X-files like science fiction you've probably got the wrong movie and will be disappointed. But DV is clearly the edge of American cinema now and if you get your kicks from seeing movies pushing the edge with ideas or enjoy the influence of Japanese and Russian filmmakers on American movies then I would recommend this movie.
Review of Radiant
