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Mandy (2018 film)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Mandy
| image = Mandy (2018 film).png
| alt =
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Panos Cosmatos
| producer =
| writer =
| screenplay =
| story = Panos Cosmatos
| based_on =
| starring =
| music = Jhann Jhannsson
| cinematography = Benjamin Loeb
| editing = Brett W. Bachman
| studio =
| distributor = RLJE Films
| released =
| runtime = 121 minutes
| country =
| language = English
| budget = $6 million
| gross = $1.7 million
}}
'Mandy' is an action horror directed by Panos Cosmatos, produced by Elijah Wood and co-written by Cosmatos and Aaron Stewart-Ahn based on a story Cosmatos conceived. A co-production of the United States and Belgium, the film stars Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Four, Richard Brake, and Bill Duke.
It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, and was theatrically released on September 14, 2018 by RLJE Films.
'Mandy' was praised for its style and originality, Cage's performance, Cosmatos' direction, and the action sequences. It is one of the last films scored by Icelandic composer Jhann Jhannsson, who died in February 2018. The film is dedicated to him.
Plot
In 1983, somewhere near the Shadow Mountains, Red Miller leads a quiet and solitary life with his girlfriend, artist and author Mandy Bloom. He works as a logger, while she has a day job as a gas station cashier. In their cabin by a lake, Mandy creates elaborate fantasy art, which Red admires greatly. Their conversations hint at a complicated past and psychological hardship. Red appears to be a recovering alcoholic and possibly a veteran, while Mandy recounts traumatic childhood experiences.
On her way to work, Mandy walks past a van carrying the Children of the New Dawn, a deviant religious cult led by the egomaniacal and vile Jeremiah Sand. Sand is struck by Mandy's beauty and orders one of his disciples, Brother Swan, to kidnap Mandy with the help of the Black Skulls, a demonic biker gang with a taste for human flesh and a highly potent liquid form of LSD.
At night, Swan drives out to the lake and summons the Black Skulls by blowing a mystical ocarina carved from lava stone which Sand calls the 'Horn of Abraxas'. After Swan offers them a low-ranking member of the cult as a sacrifice, they break into the couple's home and subdue Mandy and Red. The two female members of the cult, Mother Marlene and Sister Lucy, drug Mandy with LSD and venom from a giant black wasp before presenting her to Sand. Sand, a failed musician, attempts to seduce Mandy with his psychedelic folk music, telling her that God had told him to take anything he wanted. Mandy laughs at Sand, infuriating him. Seeking revenge, he stabs Red, who is tied and gagged with barbed wire, then burns Mandy alive in front of him. After nothing but ash remains, Sand and his followers leave. Red frees himself, mourns over Mandy's ashes, goes back inside, and falls asleep, exhausted and in shock. After waking up from a nightmare, he consumes a bottle of vodka, tends to his wounds, and shrieks in agony, grief, and rage.
In the morning, Red fetches "the reaper", his crossbow, from his friend Caruthers. Caruthers provides him with freshly crafted bolts and information on the Black Skulls. According to Caruthers, the Black Skulls were drug couriers who turned sadomasochistic after they consumed a bad batch of LSD. Before Red leaves, Caruthers warns him that his odds of survival are poor. Red forges a battle axe and hunts down the bikers. He shoots one with his crossbow and attempts to run him down but is captured in the process. At their hideout, Red breaks free and kills the bikers in a bloody battle. Searching their hideout, he consumes some of their cocaine and tainted LSD, causing him to instantly and severely hallucinate.
Seeking out a radio tower he envisioned earlier, Red encounters The Chemist, a mysterious drug manufacturer, who tells him where to find the Children of the New Dawn. At their makeshift wooden church in a quarry, Red kills Brothers Swan and Hanker with his axe and kills Brother Klopek in a chainsaw duel, sparing only the life of Sister Lucy. In the tunnels beneath the church, Red finds Mother Marlene and decapitates her. He then finds Sand, taunting him by throwing Marlene's severed head at him. Sand begs for mercy, but Red crushes his skull. He sets Sand's body and the church on fire before driving away. As Red heads towards an unknown fate, he starts envisioning Mandy in the passenger seat of his car, while the landscape behind him now appears fantastical and otherworldly.
Cast
Production
On June 7, 2017, Nicolas Cage was announced as the star of the film. Production used the Arri Alexa camera, coupled with the Panavision anamorphic format, to achieve the film's old-school atmosphere.
Legion M, an entertainment studio that allows fans to invest in and be part of the creation of films, was a production partner for 'Mandy' and hosted a panel discussion featuring director Panos Cosmatos and others at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. Cage made a surprise appearance at the event.
The weapon forged by Red was based on the F from the logo for extreme metal band Celtic Frost.
The song "Starless" by the English progressive rock band King Crimson plays over the opening credits. It is taken from their 1974 album 'Red', which is also the name of Cage's character.
Release
The film premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival on January 19. It began a limited cinematic release on September 13, 2018, playing at a maximum of 250 theatres, and was released on VOD on September 14.
Reception
Critical response
According to the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, of critics have given the film a positive review based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "'Mandy's gonzo violence is fueled by a gripping performance by Nicolas Cageand anchored with palpable emotion conveyed between his volcanic outbursts." At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".Reviewing the film after its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, Nick Allen of 'RogerEbert.com' praised it, writing that "for all of the endless feral performances that Cage has given, in movies good, bad and forgettable, Cosmatos style-driven, 80s-tastic passion for weird worlds and characters takes full advantage of Cages greatness, and then some."
In a five-star review for 'Dirty Movies', Stephen Lee Naish called the film "a blood soaked revenge caper," praising Cosmatos for a "masterful approach" that "aligns him with Kubrick and Lynch in delivering perfectly believable and fully realized worlds and characters that operate within their own laws of physics." Meanwhile, film critic Christopher Stewardson said the film "is sure to become a cult favourite all of its own." In December 2018, 'Esquire' named 'Mandy' the top film in its '25 Best Movies of 2018 So Far'.
Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"|-
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Date of ceremony
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipients
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
| rowspan=2| Austin Film Critics Association Awards
| rowspan=2| January 7, 2019
| Best Score
| Jhann Jhannsson
|
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Best Stunts
| 'Mandy'
|
|-
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| December 8, 2018
| Best Original Score
| Jhann Jhannsson
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Detroit Film Critics Society Awards
| December 3, 2018
| Best Use of Music
| Jhann Jhannsson
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan=2| Dublin Film Critics' Circle Awards
| rowspan=2| December 20, 2018
| Best Cinematography
| Benjamin Loeb
|
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Best Film
| 'Mandy'
| {{draw|}}
|-
| rowspan=6| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
| rowspan=6| February 25, 2019
| Best Actor
| Nicolas Cage
|
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Best Director
| Panos Cosmatos
|
|-
| Best Limited Release
| 'Mandy'
|
|-
| Best Makeup FX
| Oriane de Neve
|
|-
| Best Score
| Jhann Jhannsson
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Linus Roache
|
|-
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards
| November 14, 2018
| Best Original Score Independent Film
| Jhann Jhannsson
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards
| January 3, 2019
| Best Poster
| 'Mandy'
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Independent Spirit Awards
| February 23, 2019
| Best Cinematography
| Benjamin Loeb
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Neuchtel International Fantastic Film Festival
| July 16, 2018
| Narcisse Award for Best Feature Film
| 'Mandy'
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| rowspan=2| Saturn Awards
| rowspan=2| September 13, 2019
| Best Actor
| Nicolas Cage
|
| rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Best Independent Film
| 'Mandy'
|
|-
| Seattle Film Critics Society Awards
| December 17, 2018
| Best Original Score
| Jhann Jhannsson
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| Sitges Film Festival
| October 15, 2018
| Best Director
| Panos Cosmatos
|
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|}
References
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