Shadows on the Wall | Arthouse Films

Shadows off the beaten path
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On this page: BEAM ME UP SULU | THE DARK FANTASTIC | FLAMINGO CAMP

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL | Last update 30.Jun.25

Beam Me Up Sulu
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir Timour Gregory, Sasha Schneider
prd Sasha Schneider, Timour Gregory, Ashu Rai, Matthew Drake
with Stan Woo, George Takei, Eugene Roddenberry, Alexander Siddig, Garrett Wang, Christina Chong, Ian Alexander, Steve Goodpastor, Da Han, Gaston Biraben, John Atkin, Brad Takei
release UK Jun.25 rff
25/US 1h30

Now streaming...

Briskly tracing the production of a Star Trek fan movie, this scrappy documentary uses terrific behind-the-scenes footage and extensive clips and interviews, plus some witty animation. Warm-hearted and engaging, it's a lovely depiction of one man's passion alongside remarkable explorations of US cultural history. Yes, the film goes down several sideroads, not all of them relevant. But everything feeds into a strongly entertaining portrait of a dedicated fanbase.

In 1985, Star Trek fan Stan Woo began filming Yorktown: A Time to Heal, his own movie based on the series. Because George Takei was the only authentic Asian Woo had ever seen on television, he audaciously approached Takei about playing Sulu in this film, and he agreed. He also pursued top Asian actor James Shigeta (Die Hard) for a key role. But he had to abandon the project unfinished to continue his university studies. Decades later, Woo finds the footage and gets the help he needs to complete filming and edit the project together.

As it follows the making of Yorktown, this doc explores Star Trek's forward-thinking place in American culture, promoting diversity and peace in ways that were far ahead of their time. So fan reaction was passionate, igniting the franchise convention movement. This sprang from the show's positive future in which humanity emerged triumphant from conflicts. And it was revolutionary in the way it represented groups on a national stage, breaking stereotypes about women, Asians, African-Americans, Russians and more.

The film delves several major issues, most notably the ugly Asian mockery Woo saw with in mainstream media growing up, and it also includes Takei's account of his family's nearly five-year imprisonment by the US government as a Japanese-American child in the wake of the 1941 Pearl Harbour attack. In this anecdote and many others, this film is able to explore bigger, important stories that add depth to the expression of fans about what Star Trek means to them.

themes, language, violence 29.Jun.25

The Dark Fantastic
Review by Rich Cline | 4/5

The Dark Fantastic
dir-scr Lg White
prd Bianca Hugens, Tim Luna
with Simon Boswell, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Dario Argento, Alex de la Iglesia, Clive Barker, Richard Stanley, Nick Willing, Michele Soavi, Lamberto Bava, Iggy Pop, Glen Matlock, Dave Rowntree
release UK Jun.25 rff
25/UK 1h49

Now streaming...

Tracing the career of British film composer Simon Boswell, this punchy documentary deploys a flurry of split-screen and overlapping imagery to mix clips and interviews alongside a thunderous rock-n-roll sound mix. Filmmaker Lg White's whizzy editing style may play colourfully with images and text, but the focus remains tightly on the music. It's a sharply well-made movie that beautifully depicts the career of an inventive and prolific artist.

Boswell's singular work is a robust mix that includes orchestrations, vocals and electric guitar riffs, and he thanks the Italian film industry for his career, rather than the British one. After working with Italian horror maestro Dario Argento in the 1980s, he began scoring scary movies for the likes of Clive Barker and Alex de la Iglesia, plus Danny Boyle's chilling debut Shallow Grave. He considers Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre as his most artistic project (it's also his most indelible score). And now he's putting together a concert that showcases his music in a new way.

It's fascinating to see details of this kind of work so skilfully laid out like this, narrated in extensive interviews by Boswell himself, taking us through a series of movies one by one. For example, Barker's Lord of Illusions blends horror with magic and mystery, so Boswell's musicians recorded the score live while screening the film to catch the nuances. Like those recording sessions, his band plays the music for this film on-stage with striking visual flourishes. This allows White to include significant pieces of music in a way that dazzles both the eyes and ears.

Boswell is aware that pretty much his entire career has been in service of other artists, namely filmmakers. Even his hit single Imagination was written for 1987 Italian horror Graveyard Disturbance. And he inverts this dynamic by recording Argento and Jodorowsky for the clips he plays behind his band at his own concerts. His insights into the creation of his various pieces are fascinating, adding to the music's impact. This is especially true as he takes pieces that were written for movies and reclaims them in these new, expressive performances.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 29.Jun.25

Flamingo Camp
Review by Rich Cline | 3.5/5

dir Chris Coats
prd Zackary Drucker, Kevin Garland, Chris Coats
with Nova, Poe, Cecil, Emmit, Thistle, Opal, Lola, Lurp, Knives, Wylde, Jimmy James, Whisper, Andra, Margy, Van, Mojo
release US Feb.25 bsdff,
UK Jun.25 rff
25/US 1h20

Now streaming...

Chronicling life for a group of people who live far off the grid, this openly emotional documentary observes residents of a colourful queer community in the California desert. It starts as a slice of life before turning into something much darker and more intense, as an eerily predictable tragedy strains relationships and opens wounds. This creates a loose narrative that's fascinating, largely because the setting is so unusual.

In the squatter community Slab City, young LGBT+ people have found a safe space in Flamingo Camp, which was founded by Nova. Residents live rent-free in a ramshackle collection of campers and makeshift homes, entertaining neighbouring camps with colourful variety drag shows. The campers support each other emotionally, and also with meds and hormones. When summer comes, most leave to avoid the brutal 130F temperatures, but a few opt to stay. Then indigenous trans man Poe is violently killed, rattling this community to the core. But the police don't seem to take his murder seriously.

Nicely shot in a fly-on-the-wall style accompanied by interviews, the film documents life in the camp, as lively residents express themselves without restrictions. There are signs of bigotry from both outsiders and other camps, as well as some simmering tension within the Flamingo community. And each Saturday they endure a noisy invasion of dune buggies from the city. Nova understands that they should probably limit numbers to keep things more manageable. It also emerges that everyone, including his partner Cecil, knew that Poe had drug problems and needed professional help.

Nova has learned how freeing is is to let go of what other people expect you to be. But they take leadership responsibilities seriously. Many campers have discovered their lives here, but they know it's not an oasis or a utopia. It's where people go when they have nowhere else. Many speak of growing up in conservative families, needing to escape in order to survive. And this place offers an important option, because teens don't have to turns to drug or selling sex. Living outside the system, this is also a place where no one ever needs to be fake. And the fact that society doesn't care about these people, even when one is murdered, is haunting.

themes, language, nudity 26.Jun.25

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See also: SHADOWS FILM FESTIVAL