What is it that grows while decomposing other organisms? Microfungi are natural biodestructors, essential to the recycling of dead matter and the continuity of nature. In this essay film, we watch them grow under the microscope while art conservators attempt to preserve humanity’s collective memory. The metaphor speaks for itself.
Holy Destructors, the second feature by director Aistė Žegulytė and cinematographer Vytautas Katkus, continues their research into the intricate relationships between humans and other species. Here, they let us into the world of the microfungi who regulate everything that exists by feeding on it, creating new life out of decay and grief. Alongside wondrous images of these workers toiling away, we look over the shoulder of human remains’ conservators, partake in a grim Easter rite, and look lovingly into the icons of Christianity, all examples of the funny and immensely touching attempts at preserving the relics that we use to make a little sense of the destruction happening all around. If death regulates the world, we obsessively spend our lives trying to regulate death, rejoicing in strange tasks such as the ones we witness throughout this joyful memento mori. Holy destructors, filled with wonder and curiosity, is an invitation to indulge in our rituals of upkeep with a healthy dose of letting go.
Leonor Castro Nunes
