ID

Mimi Minus on the escalator of horror. Mara Mattuschka´s alter ego once again sets off on a tour de force of physical renunciation. First she goes into a tumble when the ground is pulled out from under her feet. Caught in a weightless space, she undergoes a strange metamorphosis. Mimi´s body is subjected to unnatural forces and gradually deforms, her skin ruptures and - as if the human shell were only an intermediate stage in the process of evolution - is shed like a cocoon; a reptilian monster emerges.

In her own inimitable way, as is familiar from her 16mm films, performance artist Mara Mattuschka´s new work (the first on video) ironically addresses the construction of identity and physical homogeneity. In ID elements of the horror-movie genre are given an explicitly trashy look in a fresh and carefree manner, the intention being a witty game with components of pop-culture codes (for example, the latex masks and the use of simple digital backgrounds and effects are excellent). After returning to a now surreal world, this creature meets its doppelgänger, engaging in a weird mating ritual with itself, so to speak. This leads to a cannibalistic conclusion, an act that almost takes us back to the front of the escalator in an impossible circular turn. Almost, because each transformation represents a simultaneous shift. But the "thing" is more persistent than we think and always leaves something behind.

(Gerald Weber)

Translation: Steve Wilder


Mara Mattuschka’s alter ego Mimi Minus makes a triumphant switch from 16mm to video. A ride up an escalator becomes a trip down to the subconscious, where bizarre ID monsters flirt, dance and fight. Liquids bubble and body parts fly in a cannibalistic death match for control of the psyche.

(7th Antimatter Underground Film Festival, 2004)

Orig. Title
ID
Year
2003
Country
Austria
Duration
10 min
Director
Mara Mattuschka
Category
Avantgarde/Arts
Orig. Language
No Dialogue
Downloads
id (Text)
ID (Image)
ID (Image)
ID (Image)
Credits
Director
Mara Mattuschka
Concept
Mara Mattuschka
Cinematography
Josef Nermuth
Music
Bernhard Loibner, Klaus Karlbauer
Editing
Mara Mattuschka
Compositing
Mara Mattuschka
Actor/Actress
Mimi Minus
Lighting
Josef Nermuth
Costumes
Andrea Gergely
Make-Up
Andrea Gergely
Supported by
BKA. Kunst, Wien Kultur MA 7
Available Formats
DCP 2K flat
Aspect Ratio
1:1,33
Digital File (prores, h264)
Festivals (Selection)
2003
Graz - Diagonale, Festival des Österreichischen Films
2004
Stuttgart - Int. Trickfilm-Festival
New Jersey - Black Maria Festival
Toronto - IMAGES - Independent Film & Video Festival
2005
Stuttgart - Filmwinter, Expanded Media Festival