Unrestrained

While I'm on the subject of trailers . . . I watched a couple of movies this week, but by far the most amazing thing I saw came before a feature—the trailer for Matthew Barney’s newest project, Drawing Restraint 9. I haven’t seen any of his Cremaster cycle, so I really don’t know what to expect, but this trailer—thanks largely to the chemical rush of an accompanying track by his partner, Bjork—is miraculous, other-worldly, hallucinogenic, and thoroughly enticing. You can watch it for yourself at Apple’s trailer site, but even with a large, widescreen monitor and a good set of speakers, it doesn’t do justice to the hypnotic theatrical experience. For the big screen head rush, DC-denizens should head over to the E-Street and see Brick, (also worth seeing; more on that soon). Could Barney possibly get away with making an entire film this mysterious and entrancing? Stephen Holden’s NYT review, in which he calls it a “stately, ritualistic film,” makes me think the answer could be yes. Even if the film doesn’t live up to its ad, this is one piece of advertising that surpasses high-quality hype—it’s a rich slice of art, all on its own.

For those interested in reading more, The New York Times has an article on the project, and New York Magazine has a short profile of Barney that discusses his influences.