The Bloody Child

Reportedly inspired by an actual news story about the murder of a Gulf War veteran's wife by her husband, Nina Menkes' maddeningly inaccessible, feature-length non-narrative film essentially intercuts--in no logical pattern--a handful of interminable scenes: an indistinguishably dark desert setting where a man is arrested for burying a corpse; the profane harassment of the captured suspect in the backseat of a police car; a rowdy bunch of off-duty Marines carousing in a bar; and a naked woman in a remote, unidentified jungle scratching letters on herself. Meanwhile, a disembodied female voice on the soundtrack occasionally recites lines from Macbeth. That a number of respected critics have found profundity in this insular artistic dabbling is a mystery greater than any in the film. Not recommended. (T. Rich)[DVD Review—Feb. 6, 2007—Facets, 85 min., not rated, $29.95—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1996's The Bloody Child sports a so-so transfer and DVD extras including a 20-minute “Active Dreams” interview with director Nina Menkes, a 24-minute “The Dead Iraq” audio interview with real-life Marines, a photo gallery, and trailers, as well as a booklet. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a disappointing film.]