Found Footage Gem ‘PUTREFIXION: A Video of Nina Temich’ Relishes In Revenge [Unnamed Footage Festival 2022 Review]
Mary Beth McAndrews
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As technology is ever-evolving, so is the world of found footage horror. Arguably the most innovative subgenre, directors are constantly using the digital world to create new visions of terror. Look at the use of Google Glass in JeruZalem. Or even the burgeoning screen-life films such as Unfriended. Now, director David Torres is taking found footage to another level with his dancer’s revenge film PUTREFIXION: A Video of Nina Temich, shot entirely on 360 cameras.
PUTREFIXION opens with a news anchor announcing that a monolith for the Aztec goddess Coaticue has mysteriously appeared in Mexico City. Meanwhile, Nina Temich (Dalia Xiuhcoatl) is a dancer and aspiring filmmaker living in Mexico City. In an attempt to make it as a filmmaker, she purchases a 360 camera. With it, she plans to capture every second of her life and really start making her own movies. She films solo and duo dance choreography with her close friend, both placing the camera on a tripod and holding it to capture their full range of motion.
As the film progresses and as Nina tries to get into film school, her relationship with Coaticue slowly reveals itself. Objects fall off tables of their own accord. Doors shut by themselves. It’s the stereotypical haunted house found footage tropes but within a much bigger, and terrifying, context. Nina is the focus of something more than a demon; she may just be a vessel for the divine.
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Then comes the film’s 20-minute torture scene in the form of a film school interview. It is excruciating. A panel of three professors grill Nina about her film tastes, her viewing habits, and her upbringing, openly shaming her for not coming from privilege. She does fire back, telling one of the men that his films are poor representations of poverty in Mexico City. This only fuels the fire and the tension keeps building until Nina snaps. Then, after this unconventional yet deeply unsettling torture scene, revenge begins to take center stage.
The specifics of Nina’s revenge are best left for the viewer to experience on screen. But let’s just say Nina’s divine connection is not pleased about how she’s treated at the hands of the wealthy. It’s a story of vengeance in the arts reminiscent of Suspiria with a dizzying found footage twist.
Now when I saw dizzying, I mean that quite literally due to the use of 360 cameras. Torres is challenging the viewer with his technique as he lets Xiuhcoatl, a trained dancer, take control of the camera. She’s holding the rig for the majority of the film, which adds another layer of authenticity to Nina’s experience. There’s no sanitizing of the cinematography; that would ruin the emotional impact. If you’re willing to rise up to this challenge, you’re treated to something truly special.
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Yes, it can be disorienting to watch, but that places you squarely in the shoes of Nina as she realizes her prospects as a filmmaker are slowly diminishing. You are spinning with her, descending into the spiral. Found footage is all about pushing what it means to be a viewer/voyeur to another level and PUTREFIXION understands that better than any found footage movie I’ve seen in recent memory.
Meanwhile, the wide eye of the lens is also able to capture something strange evolving around Nina. This isn’t just about her dreams falling apart. She is the target of something bigger than you and me, something that’s imbued in the landscape of Mexico City, which is presented as a beautiful yet fractured place. The 360 camera allows for a macro and micro look at Nina’s mental, emotional, and physical landscape.
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There are moments in PUTREFIXION that at first break the traditional rules of found footage. There’s nondiegetic music, very obvious editing, and moments (particularly during the interview sequence) that make you question why the camera is even there. And Torres knows you have those questions. None of these choices are made by accident. Everything is purposeful and self-aware, as Nina goes back into the interview to grab her camera or Torres reveals Nina is filming people watching her movie. Torres is playing with form and expectation in such a refreshing way that lets audiences know he knows what he’s doing. And damn he is doing it well.
PUTREFIXION is a gorgeous balance between art-house, experimental horror and the type of A24 narrative that will have audiences begging for more. The story of an artist scorned isn’t new, but Torres makes it feel fresh and dangerous. As the camera spins around Nina and we watch something take hold of her soul, we ourselves are sucked into her world.
Summary
PUTREFIXION is a gorgeous balance between art-house, experimental horror and the type of A24 narrative that will have audiences begging for more. The story of an artist scorned isn’t new, but Torres makes it feel fresh and dangerous.
