The Machine of Eden

An uncoordinated short abstract piece with little regard to having an absolute structure, but it does contain some incredibly beautiful images, the low-budget low quality aesthetic emphasising their personal (and pseudo-nostalgic) vibe.

Some pretty images, some dull ones. Not bad.

Shows how the camera "weaves" an impression through the use of unusual techniques. There's some really funky zooms in here, even unsettling at times.

Film as a world created by the camera. Zooms and pans conjure and destroy effortlessly; a shutter turns day into night and back again; jump cuts make objects appear and disappear. Maybe it even gets Biblical, first emphasizing light, then land, trees, finally beasts and then human figures appear. The bookending shots of a loom are a good-old-fashioned metaphor, rare in Brakhage's work!