Culminating in the finale of Albert Gabriel’s Nigrin latest trilogy composed of prior films Dream Screen and Pizzica, Lamiai is the third installment of Nigrin’s expedition into the mesh-like experimental framework that is surreal storytelling.
The title of the film stems from the poem “Lamia” by John Keats, written in 1820. Keats original work is a narrative epic following the Greek god, Hermes, as he wanders through the forest in search of a nymph, only to have Lamia, a serpent-woman, propose a deal that is mutually beneficial and changes the trajectory of both their paths. The poem continues on through a foray of fortune and tragedy, all the while twisting between contrasting feelings of fantastical or logical. Now, more than two hundred years later, Nigrin emulates the poem into his own artwork, while diverging the history of the narrative towards a tale that is more ambiguous, involving two women in a beguiling snake-charm rather than the conventional male-female roundabout.
Wrapping up the trilogy, Lamiai is decidedly satisfying for its ability to bring the series full circle, while still remaining as its own independent film. The use of hypnotic imagery weaving the viewer inside the visuals, the presence of a female duo, the harbor light of a mirror’s flashing reflection - these elements tie the previous films into Lamiai, thus calling back to Dream Screen and Pizzica, but perhaps using such techniques to most enthralling yet. Nigrin is at the top of his game here, using his established leitmotifs to their full potential while still experimenting with the form of film. To display some of the intricate connections, the ending of Pizzica left viewers with the crashing waves of sea against shore, and the start of Lamiai picks up in the throes of the ocean. Furthermore, in traditional mythology, the serpentine Lamia was the daughter of Poseidon, god of the sea. Thus, the motif of water plays a crucial role in her being, and subsequently in the overall portrayal of Nigrin’s film.
As another nod to its literary origin, Lamiai features a portion of Keats’ poem being read in the underbelly of the soundtrack. The excerpts are barely above a whisper, forming a sound akin to the hiss of a snake, again reinforcing the serpent-woman that is “Lamia” herself and adding an almost subconscious reinforcement and extra-viewing dimension to the film. Like the other films in the trilogy, found footage is a recurring theme to Nigrin, and Lamiai is no exception. The footage often showcases natural disasters such as hurricanes, rainstorms, and tornadoes, forming a sense of danger and intrigue but going further to evoke one of Nigrin’s frequent explorations in his films: climate change. The color scheme in Lamiai is symbolic of the trilogy as well, from the green foliage in Dream Screen and the emerald tint in Pizzica reinforcing the jade natural imagery/found footage in Lamiai to the leitmotif of iridescent blue in all three. Additionally, it must be noted that both performances by Yazmin Omana and Natalie Tango are powerhouses, adding a sense of mystique and intensity into the already raging typhoon that is Lamiai.
Lamiai, directed by Albert Gabriel Nigrin, takes the audience into the eye of the storm, journeying through natural disasters and meddling mindscapes. Raw but elegant, turbulent but serene - an example of the pendulum of life, love, and film - Lamiai will be screening as part of the Nigrin Retrospective, proceeds of which will benefit the New Jersey Media Arts Center.
Lamiai screens at the Fall 2024 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, September 27. The film will be Online for 24 Hours on this day and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Tickets are available for purchase here.
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