Film
January 13th 2010
The dark heart of the truth
Black Metal doc paints a balanced portrait of the controversial culture
I think I just crapped my pants: A scene from the black metal documentary Until the Light Takes Us.
Until the Light Takes Us
Directed by Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell, 2009
93 minutes
Plays at the Lo Pub (330 Kennedy) outdoors on a snow screen on Friday, Jan. 15 at 8 p.m.
In the early ‘90s, Norway was beset by a rash of church burnings and other violent crimes (including murder), all associated with what was dubbed a “satanic” music scene known as Black Metal. Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell’s film Until the Light Takes Us is an exploration of these events as told by the musicians who were in the midst of the controversy.
The grizzly subject matter is the sort of material that could make for a sensationalistic documentary; however, the filmmakers avoid exploiting their subjects.
Though the uninitiated may find the film to be a bit confusing at first, the manner in which the filmmakers keep things from the audience eventually becomes their best asset.
The filmmakers deliberately introduce us to the musicians first, then the music and then the scene – all before making any direct mention of the crimes. This technique allows us to know and at least partially understand the subjects before we’re told of what they’ve done.
In the end, although it’s difficult to fully sympathize with these men, the filmmakers have at least given us a chance to hear the other side of the story.
Through its attempt at a balanced report, the film hopes to help people make up their minds independently, which the filmmakers clearly present as an impossibility if one only listens to the media reports.
An appreciation for Black Metal is not a requisite for enjoying this film since the questions being raised reach beyond music and into the very heart of truth.
