2551.03 – The End

A masked apeman traverses a dystopian society in this twisted finale of Norbert Pfaffenbichler’s 2551 trilogy. Eerie locations, striking cinematography and a thundering industrial soundtrack form the backbone of this extreme kind of contemporary silent film that sits somewhere between experimental and underground.

The final entry to Norbert Pfaffenbichler’s infamous ‘2551 trilogy’ is a climactic send-off to the dystopian series. Traversing the uncanny valley between experimental art and pure underground trash, 2551’s fictional universe is one of decay, degradation and repression. Again, our hero is an unnamed and masked apeman, who traverses the nightmarish realms of a heavily militarised post-apocalyptic world in the search of a missing child. His quest drags him into the belly of the beast of a twisted society, marked by disturbing encounters with colourful and grotesque characters.

While shot on an extremely low budget, Pfaffenbichler manages to create an entirely convincing fictional universe that leans heavily on the expressionist silent horror films of almost a century ago. With its eerie locations, striking cinematography and thundering industrial soundtrack, 2551.03 – The End becomes a nightmarish kind of new silent film that completely pummels over you. This finale ends on a particularly high note, with some of the most expressive use of colours and textures Pfaffenbichler has put to film so far.  

– Hugo Emmerzael

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