“What are you running from?”

“...All of it“

The debut feature film from director Elijah Winfield, Absence of Color is a mind-bending voyage into the subconscious of a young man who can see color while the world around him is stricken with monochromacy. The aforementioned young man (Logan Williams) is tossed into test sessions with a doctor (Eric Parras) who abuses him with seemingly never ending medical procedures. This aspect of the film falls into the main narrative, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. The film is loaded with a plethora of visual imagery ranging from long passages of poetry flashing on screen (as well as in voice-over form), psychedelic montages full of beautiful composition utilizing both stark black and white and accentuated, poppy colors, as well as segments where narration is set over a collage of still photographs that help to establish this new dystopian world without color; a touch reminiscent of the great Chris Marker. If you’re willing to surrender to a work that delves into making peace with your past, no matter how jagged or scarred, then Absence of Color is essential viewing.

(written by Diego Garcia; cover by Vu Nhat Nguyen)