ARTS
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CU LTU RE
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Angels of Darkness: better than Iwilght
STORY AND PHOTO BY ALI MILLER
THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
“Angels of Darkness,” is not a typical vampire movie.
It’s not an action/horror flick made to pummel the
viewer into submission. There’s no hottie prince waiting
to rush to the rescue and fight the nightmares away.
“Angels of Darkness” unfolds itself gently, quietly while
everyone else is sleeping, like a night-blooming cactus
unfolding one piece of darkness at a time.
“Angels of Darkness” was co-written and directed
by Mauricio Chernovetzky and Clackamas Community
C ollege’s own Mark Devendorf, a professor in the
Digital Media Communications program. Devendorf has
worked at CCC since 2016 and directed the documentary
“Rise of the Giants,” which screened on Campus last
October. Devendorf blends his real-world experiences
with experimenting with new technological techniques
to create a well-rounded class experience. He uses the
school’s breaks for holidays and summer to dedicate
to film-making.
“Angels of Darkness” is like movie poetry. The
setting, use of color, soundtrack and minimal dialogue
are as much a character as any other. “Angels of
Darkness” collects a litany of emotional wounds,
isolation, rejection, absent parents, loves, secret mental
illness and cultural taboos.
“Sometimes you create and when you’re done with
it, it doesn’t feel like it’s yours anymore,” Devendorf
said. “[Angels of Darkness] still feels very personal
like a list of injuries I ’m sending out. Some of that
pain is embedded in that film.”
“Angels of Darkness” is set in 1980s Hungary. Dr.
Hill (Stephen Rea) is tasked with salvaging old murals
of a derelict castle, once sanitarium. An unforeseen
event makes him take his doleful teenage daughter
Lara (Eleanor Tomlinson) who finds reprieve from
the tediousness in music and art. Lara is isolated from
her family, from her peers, from any community. She
lacks human connection, but that changes one day in
the woods when, she meets a stranger, Carmilla (Julia
Pietrucha) and brings her into the castle. Carmilla is
distant and shocked at first. She seems almost feral,
but after a change of clothes and the dimming of night
Carmilla transforms into a firebrand, a champion .of
mischief pushing Lara’s sense of adventure in a series
of midnight antics.
“Angels of Darkness” offers a reflection of society
and though it’s set in the past its topics are just as
relevant today. “Angels of Darkness” blends fantasy,
horror, and a bit of mystery to tackle deep topics. It
demands the viewers’ attention, but rewards them for
their patience.
“It’s really interesting to be able to-make students
watch films they don’t want to,” Devendorf said. “They
go from, ‘I don’t like this, I don’t like this, to, I love
this!’ I hope we don’t lose that experience as a society,
watching films with hidden depth.” One way or another,
be it in the classroom or in a theater, if Devendorf has
anything to do with it there will be films of depth to
explore.
^ eeseca k eT a cto ry
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NOVEMBER 1, 2017