by Erin Kincy
“The moment he was born, a crack appeared in the sky” is a central line from Lorenz Merz’s second feature film, Soul of a Beast. The “crack in the sky” alludes to Gabriel’s (Pablo Caprez) distinction between a realistic and fantasy world. Amidst a disordered summer, Gabriel, a teenage dad caring for his son Jamie (Art Bllaca), falls in love with the mysterious Corey (Ella Rumpf). The conflict with this love interest is that Corey is the girlfriend of Joel (Tonatiuh Radzi), Gabriel’s best friend. As the world begins to fall apart around Gabriel, he falls along with it, discovering a new perspective on life.
Soul of a Beast is a personal film for Swiss writer and director Lorenz Merz. Like our protagonist Gabriel, Merz was also a father at a very young age; he desired traveling the world but had the responsibility of having a child. In this “contemporary coming into life” film, as Merz calls it, Gabriel’s life becomes existential as tension escalates between himself and Corey. Following this, a giraffe and two pumas run a rampage around the city due to Gabriel, Corey, and Joel breaking into a zoo one night. Gabriel finds himself in an unforgivable situation as Joel can sense Gabriel’s interest in his girlfriend. Though Gabriel’s life is unraveling due to this, we still get to see his parental instincts with Jamie. Once Jamie’s affluent mom, Zoe (Luna Wedler), is introduced to us at her mother’s (Lolita Chammah) 45th birthday event, we quickly see Gabriel and Jamie’s lack of relationship with her during their encounters. As the film progresses and Gabriel spends more time with Corey, the cracked sky continues to split, and Gabriel’s distinction between reality and fantasy becomes blurred.
The chemistry displayed between Pablo and Ella was fantastic to watch. In a sense, it can be difficult for many to understand how quickly Gabriel and Corey fell in love, but this story is not just about falling in love but about falling apart as well. Is there a right or wrong way to fall in love? Gabriel himself cannot fully grasp why he desires to be with Corey so intensely; he is still young and without guidance. In a conversation between Corey and Gabriel, Corey asked Gabriel if he would accompany her to Guatemala for a year. She told Gabriel that ever since they met, she felt as if she had to do everything now, but Gabriel still had Jamie to look after. Though this is the case, could Gabriel haul Jamie to Guatemala with no explanation, or would he leave Jamie behind? Guess you’ll have to watch to find out.
One of the most robust characteristics of this film is the 4:3 aspect ratio. The closeups filled the entire frame, conveying the actors’ emotions- it gave insight into how characters felt without dialogue. Gabriel’s life rapidly spirals as the city erupts into chaos, causing him to act in ways he would not have expected. He pays no mind to the world when everything is normal but questions what he knows and his freedom once strange things happen. It was interesting watching Gabriel and Corey’s relationship because it was destructive and forbidden. I was engaged in seeing if they would compress their emotions or be disloyal to Joel. After the screening, I felt sorrowful for Gabriel and Jamie; I realized though you may find love, it might not be clever to pursue it if it brings much pain and trouble. Many in the audience possibly became lost with the themes presented in Soul of a Beast, but those who kept up with this unique story will feel its impact, which is greatly cherished.
MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE 