Istenek völgye

The actors’ maxim “Never go full retard” gets an unexpected director-screenwriters’ equivalent in “Never go full Lech Majewski”, or what happens when someone creatively snaps and, in addition to that, gets access to drones, a green screen and deranged actors willing to do anything under the illusion of working with one of the greats. The pompous lack of good judgment has taken on an entirely new dimension, which is concurrently clumsy, obstinately serious and foolishly absurd. In his epic about the world’s wealthiest tycoon, a troubled author and an Indian legend about a child of stones, Majewski brings shame to the eccentric masters of world cinema, such as Ed Wood, Damon Packard, Neil Breen and Tommy Wiseau. Valley of the Gods has become the undisputed holder of the title of the Most Bizarre Film of this year's Film Market in Berlin, where a leading candidate for first place was a promo for the French mainstream high-concept film L’origine du monde about a guy whose heart stops and a witch tells him that he must look at his 60-year-old mother's vagina or else he will die within three days. (2020.02.22)