Vanishing Waves REVIEW

DVD REVIEW Coma together

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Vanishing Waves DVD review .

There can be few stranger tales of cinematic amour fou than the one which plays out in Vanishing Waves .

A very international production (director Kristina Buožytė is Lithuanian; there were also contributions from Latvia, Canada, Finland and France), it addresses universal themes of desire and loss through a fascinating premise. Research scientist Lukas is remotely connected to a coma victim, acting as a receiver for their neutral data. On the second connection, he’s locking lips with a beautiful young woman; by the third, the two are rolling about a wooden floor, buck naked. Unsurprisingly, he keeps mum...

The passionate, mostly mute bond that develops is displayed in avant garde erotica; in one scene, the lovers tumble into a pile of copulating bodies whose flesh is merging together. In another, their gleeful delight in physical sensation sees them pouring food over one another.

There’s a spectre at the feast, though, as Lukas increasingly senses a third presence... It’s a compelling mystery, and when the answers come, they’re devastating, with disturbing implications. Beautifully shot, this is a surreal head trip which simultaneously intrigues the intellect, engages the emotions and sets the pupils dilating.

Ian Berriman twitter.com/ianberriman

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Deputy Editor, SFX

Ian Berriman has been working for SFX – the world's leading sci-fi, fantasy and horror magazine – since March 2002. He also writes for Total Film, Electronic Sound and Retro Pop; other publications he's contributed to include Horrorville, When Saturday Comes and What DVD. A life-long Doctor Who fan, he's also a supporter of Hull City, and live-tweets along to BBC Four's Top Of The Pops repeats from his @TOTPFacts account.