This was a science fiction and fantasy thriller with neo-noir and black comedic elements, the story of which went something like this:

A divine mark or calling is placed on our young protagonist’s head, and he is wakened from a deep sleep by a techno-magician with a kind of militaristic power who assigns a mission to hunt down an insane Other of terrifying proportions. Along the way the characters that come in contact with or surround our protagonist become possessed with an alien mutation that drives them on a blood-lusting rampage of chaotic destruction. Our hero is forced or compelled to kill these possessed individuals, and suffers an increasing existential crisis as a result. His only relief is in the company of his lover, a beautiful but eerie androgynous figure who always seems to be in the right place at the right time while remaining situated within a veil of mystery. The two are forced deeper and deeper into both urban and wilderness labyrinths, chasing after the insane Other on the one hand and being chased by the possessed chaotic beings on the other. After a fight, due to stress and miscommunication, the androgynous figure flees with personal secrets that can ruin our protagonist. Our hero continues on, and seems to be closing in on his enemy, when without warning this enemy, the insane Other, bursts forth and abducts our hero for several nights of threatening, savage, and torturous ordeals. The androgynous figure returns and manages to free our hero, but in the process has to sacrifice her/himself in a barbaric and bloody ritual. Our hero comes across secret evidence giving proof to the undeniable link between the techno-magician and the insane Other, as well as their connection to the State. He returns to confront the techno-magician and avenge his lover’s sacrifice only to be informed of his own complicity and involvement in the whole string of acts. It seems that he is also inseparably linked (mentally and physically) to  both the techno-magician and the insane Other, that the three of them are a strange trinity, and that this has been a personal quest for identity. He himself had been responsible for the possession of the people who went mad with chaotic rampage, and the sacrifice of the androgynous lover had been a necessary act in the discovery of their mutual identity. The last shot shows a kind of union with these three retiring in a dark, womb-like chamber.

It had a great, original score, terrific high-contrast, low-key lighting, compelling performances, and stunning art direction. Very influential on me…

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