A SPELL TO WARD OFF THE DARKNESS New Auteurs

Filmmakers Ben Russell and Ben Rivers team up for the first time to create this triptych of stories revolving around a silent protagonist. The first section centers on a man who lives in a commune, sharing food, responsibility and intimacy with a group of utopian-minded colleagues. The second section follows the same protagonist as he lives in isolation in a picturesque, but largely inhospitable, remote island. The final section sees our hero as a member of a death metal band in Norway and follows his high-decibel incantations for one extended, uninterrupted shot. As the title suggests, this is less a traditional narrative than a weaving of sounds and images to arrange darkness and light. Invoked by two of the best experimental filmmakers working today, this spell woven over the world is one of transcendence and power.