Lena Martinez’s Engloutis is a vivid depiction of an artist creating something he cannot contain. The one-minute video is clearly captured by the film; however, the video is not a live-action piece, as the style is an almost stop-motion piece, filtered with dull or vibrant color.
Thick brushstrokes cover the screen, giving the film a painted technique. Only the artist himself is left untouched by the paint, and even his movements appear animated due to frame stops and the constant movement of brushstrokes surrounding him.
The film starts with a soft blue color surrounding the artist. The brushstrokes are slow to begin, and as the artist works, they grow faster and darker. His creation, a soft, clay humanoid starts off white, and as he sculpts, it shifts to an almost painful red. Once his sculpture has taken shape, the colors swap, and the background becomes red, while the sculpture turns blue.
The artist continues to create his human, and as he does, it comes alive. There is no background music in the film, only sound effects of human breathing, a struggling sound that makes the viewer almost uncomfortable.
The sculpture shifts back to red, blue dominating the background again, but this time with yellows, oranges and pale whites mixed in. For a brief moment, the screen goes completely white, and then the painful, angry red returns to carry the film to its end, with the artist unable to control his creation, and the creation enveloping the whole scene, swallowing its creator in the folds of its being.
The thick brushstrokes which make up the filter create a swirling motion, which from the beginning picks up speed as the video progresses. The ending is a flurry of motion, until all at once the frames slow down measurably, with one frame every few seconds.
The film is a haunting depiction of a somewhat melancholy artist. The casual viewer will likely leave feeling strange; however, those who enjoy impressionist works will likely find a lot to take away from this film.
Engloutis is an artistic animation video.
