Symbiopsychotaxiplasm (Mini Review)

This deconstructionist film features the director conduct a poorly written scene with two actors that the crew despises. I'm sure plenty of the audience will hate it too. After all the dialogue isn't that great. I thought it was brilliant, however. Not because the acting or dialogue was brilliant but because of how Graves inserts himself into the scene, not by physically interrupting which he does occasionally for various reasons, rather how it's constructed to make it feel like we're watching three people. When he takes the time to play the scene out it feels like that he's participating in it just as much as the two actors involved. After a while, we soon realise there is a fourth and even fifth participant in this film.

Symbiopsychotaxiplasm follows a film crew lead by director William Graves. There are three cameras involved. One focusing on the actors, another is to focus on the actors but when they're not filming they are to film the crew. The last one films the crew that films the crew while they're not filming the actors. Graves let the crew film the production as they please, and in a couple of cases, the crew films itself discussing Graves's concept which no one seems to understand, which happens without Graves’s presence. The choice in crew seems to be no accident as they all articulate their points succinctly. One can sense that Graves wanted the crew to analysis and break down the film not only the one they were making but the finished one too. The crew obviously couldn’t see the final film as they were shooting it but the way it’s presented is obviously gives us the impression that this is all an intentional ploy to add another layer in the film. This additional layer doesn't hinder the film by over stuffing it. It contributes another facet. The crew are essentially the fourth participants.

A film can be seen not only as a director’s thoughts but their view of the world. In Symbiopsychotaxiplasm this is the case but it comes with an asterisk. Graves is extending the director’s role to the crew and the audience. We are meant to apply our own thoughts, ideas and feelings to the concept that is given to us. It’s as if a film school teacher has told you to go make a film about Symbiopsychotaxiplasm but you don’t make it. You simply watch this film.

A possibility with the advent of VR is a physical engagement with the narrative that isn't possible with conventional cinema. We could decide to turn left at Albuquerque and take the conventional route but that's the mundane option. Graves managed to concoct a bunch of ideas into something greater. It’s a commonly accepted thing to say that 100 people who watch the same movie will have different perceptions of it and therefore have seen a different film. This is turned to 11 here. The use of split screen lets you decide how to edit the scenes which are presented as such. You ask yourself has this shot been slated so it can be synced. This is a film in which every individual who watches this film has seen one hunderd.

The density of ideas that can be unravelled presented to us deserves our attention. I haven't even started to explain what I think the title means. Sadly, I have only seen this film once and I doubt I will be able to comprehend all its ideas until a third or fourth viewing. However, it’ll be a trip worth making because I’m enamoured by its layers.

What do you think of this film? Do you like the title?

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