Tunnelen (The Tunnel) [André Øvredal: 2020]

This short film, which can be viewed for free on Youtube (link below), is an intense thriller that uses elements of science fiction as the backdrop for a very simple story about what seems a normal day of a family returning home from the beach. It takes place in a future where cars are driven automatically without any human input (yes, something that is not so futuristic due to the recent technological innovations), and where, in order to enter the city, people have to go through a single massive tunnel.

However, this tunnel has a particular ghastly purpose as it closes at random moments trapping everyone inside and opening moments later completely empty. It is implied by both the tension that grows in the family as they approach the tunnel and the signs in the road, that this a “death tunnel” that serves a purpose of reducing population “without discrimination”.

And it is an intense car ride up to the tunnel and inside it, since the family does not know when and if the tunnel will close. During the ride the eldest son strikes a friendship with a girl from a car that is close by. However once the family makes it through the tunnel, it closes, and the girl is nowhere to be seen.

What strikes me the most is the fact that in order to leave and enter the city people put themselves through a dangerous situation that might prove fatal, but in the case of this family it seems a day at the beach was worth. Also, it was disconcerting how quickly and easily the eldest son returned to listening to music once he realized the girl he was speaking to is gone (the viewer never learns whether she made through the tunnel or died there).

It is a short movie worth the watch if not just for the questions it raises about the population growth and the means that a state can apply to deal with. It also has something to say about human interactions, which is very subtly but effectively made clear.

 

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The short can be viewed for free on Youtube in the following link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOwKExagzdQ

 

 

Top 5 Playlist recap for April and May

 

The past few months have been busy and only now in September am I able to post and make a short recap for my Top5 pickings for the months of April and May. And also, I must underline that I have not made playlists for the past 3 months, something I which to correct in September (since this month is when the monthly Spotify Top5 Playlists turn two years).

So going back all the way to April, the first song I picked was “Up from the bottom” by Linkin Park, their most recent single. It’s a catchy tune and one that helps make a case for the band to have returned to recording and playing live again, giving off vibes from their third LP, Minutes to Midnight.

And now begins my journey through the discography of Hungary’s one man band Thy Catafalque, starting with “Embersólyom”, and amazing tune featuring the vocal talents of Martina Veronika Horváth. This is and hypnotic track with amazing vocal harmonies. Then, follows “Esomlapas” from the same artist, this time with a male vocalist, that is more rock oriented.

Then we enter the metal side of this playlist, starting with “Prepackaged” by Mushroomhead, the second single off their latest album, Call the Devil, an aggressive track, but also very catchy. Then I finish this playlist with another song by Thy Catafalque, but this one, a more death metal oriented track, with an amazing guitar riff and a beautifully sung bridge section.

Up next is my selection for the month of May, that begins with an amazing song by Jacques Brel, “Vesoul”, a song that demonstrates this singers’ ability to sing at an amazing speed always spelling every bit of the lyric without missing a beat (I highly recommend that one watches the video of a live televised performance of this song which is even more interesting). Afterwards, follows a song by the legendary Texan band ZZ Top, and of my favorite by them, “Sharp Dressed Man”, simple and to the point, with a memorable guitar riff keeping everything together.

The third track of this playlist is one of my favorite songs by Norwegian saxophpnist Jan Garbarek, the titular track from his most recent solo effort, In Praise of Dreams, a very soft and dreamlike song. I follow this song with another one by ZZ Top, “Gimme all your lovin”, one of their greatest hits, a song that stuck with me along with “Sharp Dressed Man” throughout that month. The list ends with a live rendition of L. Shankar’s “Paper Nut” by the Jan Garbarek Group in the album Dresden. This is one of my favorite songs and I love to search for as many versions of it as possible, with a highlight in the particular version for Manu Katché’s drum solo.

In conclusion, in both April and May I had a fixation in three particular artists: Thy Catafalque, Jan Garbarek and ZZ Top. And now I hope to resume my posting of these monthly Spotify Playlists on a more regular basis.

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Top5 April Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05XR1U64n8VlDlRUjokjvG?si=c188887da5ad4f96

 

Top 5 May Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ECxmiylH5am5slqHJeAZq?si=efe2b343a4dc4865