The eerie chant of a decaying choir of cherubs heralds a utopia. A machine — not quite a machine — unveils its own vision of paradise. Merrimundi is the latest film by Niles Atallah whose recent work has delved deeply into post-apocalyptic aesthetics.
According to the Doomsday Clock, in December 2025 we stand 89 seconds from the end of the world. What we will find there may echo what we see in Merrimundi. Pure delirium and chaos in a post-apocalyptic setting where multiple languages are spoken and from which a space of rebirth and creation also emerges. Niles Atallah delivers a film we can almost touch. A sensory feast and creative impulse that expands the imagination and broadens horizons. Between musical, performance, and collective hallucination, Atallah’s puppets are steeped in the spirit of the Quay Brothers and Švankmajer. (Carlos Ramos)
