New Religion

Bluesky

A hit at Frightfest but otherwise hard to get hold of in the West, New Religion is a great edition to a collection not just because of its outstanding quality but because it seems likely to mark the start of a remarkable cinematic career. If you're not immediately inclined to think that way, the audio commentary and interview with Keishi Kondo featured here will change your perspective as they explain his working methods and make it clear that this is more than just a product of luck - even if it did benefit from the space for creative development created by Covid lockdowns.

Kondo is always interesting to listen to, with a deep love of film which leads him to find inspiration everywhere, not just in what is generally designated as art. His contributions are by far the most interesting part of this package. The trailers showcase his work very nicely, all different; the 'early concept movie', though it's only 16 seconds long (which is, frankly, pushing it if you're going to list something as a feature) works similarly. The outtakes are worth watching but very basic, without sound, and don't reveal anything new in terms of story or themes. The behind the scenes footage is just a montage of short sequences captured on camera during the production process, with only the occasional bit of text to provide context.

Then there is the short film. Neu Mirrors is not of the same quality as New Religion. it's overlong for what it's trying to do, but it does incorporate good performances and, of course, it's handsomely stylised. Whilst it's hard to imagine anyone being drawn into Kondo's work if this is the first thing they see, fans of the feature presentation will find a good deal about it to hold their interest.