Beket is like a walk through a twisted and distorted version of purgatory, where all is black and white, techno music fills the landscape and two strangers are in search of Godot.
Davide Manuli’s film is an altered retelling of Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” that leaves the viewer disoriented, yet delighted.
Freak (Luciano Curreli) and Jaja’s (Jérôme Duranteau) strange encounter begins with Jaja asking Freak “Would you like to hear the story of the two thieves?”, thus beginning a reoccurring theme of biblical references and repetition.
The duo encounters a flip-flop-wearing, bare chest Adam and a hippy clad Eve reenacting the beginnings of the creation story, with Eve howling at Adam that she is hungry. We soon learn that he is ill-equipped to provide for her because he’s merely a DJ.
Freak and Jaja traverse the desert and countryside to find the Oracle, but the toy guitar-wailing guide instructs them to go straight and then turn both right and left to find the Great Mother.
The Great Mother turns out to be a scantily clothed beauty who resides in a stunning cove of clear waters and an immaculate beach. The duo believes their search is over, but with a crack that breaks the silence, they are doomed to relive their journey.
You never really get your mind around the movie and that is the beauty of it. It’s clear it will relate differently to different people.
While it takes a moment to become comfortable with the imagery, Beket is a fantastic piece of avant-garde cinema that is a treat.
4 Yaps