Eric Leister’s Apocalypsis is a film that will leave one either nodding in agreement, scratching in confusion, or shaking their head in dismay. While subpar acting is expected in low-budget Indie films, Apocalypsis suffers from either thematically amateurish disorganization or intentional confusion; it is hard to tell which. The popular maxim in filmmaking of “show, don’t tell” is routinely violated in repeated reminders that the film’s main protagonist, Evelyn Rose (Maria Bruun), is deeply religious.
Also, its second protagonist, Michael Banderwack (Chris O’Leary), constantly explains the what and why of the narrative’s predominant nuances when on-screen. It is a film lacking effective editing with overuse of establishing shots often leading into disconnected exposition or a million nonsensical scenes.
For instance, Evelyn leaves her apartment and walks down a city street at night. One might expect something to occur that her nighttime stroll leads into. Instead, what follows is a hodge-podge collage of black and white photographs from various wars, a woman writing in Japanese kanji, an image of what might be a female saint, and a negative contrast of Evelyn in bed writhing in a dream while an off-screen feminine voice speaks to her in a mystically divine revelation. The immediate follow-up scene has Evelyn walking in a daytime park to attend a birthday party as if nothing ever happened, not the divine revelation nor the pointless nighttime stroll prior. Herein lies the core of Apocalypsis’ confusion.
Many scenes do not expand, influence, or impart meaning to the narrative nor carry the plot, existing instead as one-shot displays or as brief exposition dumps of either Evelyn’s or Michael’s characters. These are just as often unnecessary as the character qualities conveyed had previously been exposited or shown. Further, Apocalypsis is repeatedly injected with Evelyn’s visions of the End Times which might be off-putting to those not aware of Christian iconography or prophecy. At no point are they explained.
Worse, they exist as close-up stop-motion animations, which are surely creative, yet spin about or flash colors and lights so erratically that the film should come with a seizure warning. There are simply too many filmmaking blunders to detail that are neither evidently experimental nor artistic in nature, though perhaps they were intended as such.
Apocalypsis may appeal to those interested in religion because it is a creative portrayal of the Eastern Orthodox concept of theosis. The film explores the theological divide between Western Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy which is quite eye-opening. Some may find the film encouraging and reflective of their personal theology while others may view it as a deviation from doctrinal scripture and thereby alarming. Apocalypsis is a daring option for film collections in public libraries, specifically for patrons who enjoy dramas and fantasy titles. Media librarians should also consider adding this film to library shelves if patrons are interested in movies with challenging religious themes.