Watching this short film following Cerda's earlier short Aftermath (1994), I was struck at how much more romantic this one was in comparison to the latter's brutal necrophilia-centered premise, while still retaining the same aesthetic approach that poetically depicts horrifying content, not to mention the lack of dialogue in both films, thus focusing the film's power on its invoking classical score and well-crafted images. Genesis follows a sculptor (Pep Tosar) as he finishes up an exact-replica statue of his wife who recently died in a car crash. Slowly, the statue starts to bleed while it's stone exerior begins to crack. The cost of resurrection is not cheap, however; a reality the sculptor discovers as he begins his own transformation, slowly turning into a statue himself, his progressive 'wounds' mirroring the statue's eclosion process. Beautifully shot and supported by constantly beautiful music, Genesis is a powerful love story that explores self-sacrifice as the ultimate price for the reversal of nature. While at times it made me think of the Stephen King-starring segment of Creepshow (1982) meets Wilde's Dorian Grey, the film's inherent beauty and universal appeal (greatly aided by its silent treatment) is evident from the opening frames. Additionally, while it may be shocking in certain circumstances, it becomes almost soothing and relieving when it comes directly after the unflinching atrocities depicted in Aftermath, its DVD companion.
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