An apple a day keeps the Doctor away
As someone who has written thousands of words on transgressive films set in the Veneto it was a nailed on certainty that a film about a forsaken Venetian island and the plague doctors that once roamed the narrow winding streets would grab my interest and I think it deserves yours too.
From Italian born but American-based director Emanuele Mengotti comes THE PLAGUE DOCTOR, a psychological thriller set in Venice. Inspired by the stories and legends tied around the ancient island Poveglia and the historical figure of the plague doctors there is so much here to excite the imagination which the location only enhances. With its tight narrow, almost claustrophobic streets and rows upon rows of canals potentially teeming with bacteria the city is the perfect backdrop for the spreading of disease amongst the debauchery of the carefree Venetians who revelled in all manner of vices under the protection of anonymity. The city itself a perfect metaphor for what is bubbling under the surface of its inhabitants, manifested as the wrath of God cleansing the city but of course, there has to be someone cleaning up – the plague doctors.
Now this is merely my mind running away with itself, the official synopsis of the film is that “upon being called to care for an elder, a young doctor finds himself trapped by deranged visions. The echoes of a timeless love cause him to mix reality with the obscure legend of a haunted Venetian island and the ancient Italian mask of the plague doctor” - all very cryptic in terms of what we will actually be getting.
However the visuals presented so far give me much hope, just take a look at the teaser below for sumptious visuals worthy of Luca Bigazzi, and when the director and crew namecheck influences such as Kubrick, Lynch and Aronofsky it merely reinforces the attention demanded and from what little I have seen about the art direction and style that the film is going to take deservedly so.
Currently the film is still in the pre-production stage and the final days of an Indiegogo campaign although I feel that the perks, while highly innovative and this should be applauded, perhaps do not match the value ascribed to them but then again that is just my opinion. It raises a tricky question of smaller film makers using the medium without a big name to draw on and in this particular case with the film being a little way away it is understandable that they cannot commit to final products and nor should they as it would weaken any future campaign offering.
Based on the teaser trailer below I really hope that this film does get made and should it return to the Crowdfunding market for another round of funding during the final stages, with the option to pre-order, then that’s a different matter and will get my financial support as well as written but I would urge everyone to make sure you are aware of this exciting (not to mention aesthetically gorgeous looking) project and to keep an eye on its development.
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