Nightstream: Name Above Title (2021)

Nightstream Screening: NAME ABOVE TITLE (2021)

Dir. Carlos Conceição

Well that was an incredible 59 minutes. Each image composed by Carlos Conceição is beautiful and full of that cinematic grit usually missing in the digital age. Name Above Title has the feeling of a famous music video that you've never seen before. There's fog, wind machines, nuns, nails, and flashing lights of various colors. A silent film that packs every moment with such lush compositions, that it's hard to turn away from. The low-light cinematography can produce colors that shouldn't exist in darkness. The 4:3 framing of the film and the grain leads you to believe it is shot with a 1971 Hasselblad 500EL/M still camera and each frame cross-processed in a lab. So, with a breathtaking image, is it any good?

A woman leaping to her death is the catalyst of the story. A serial killer happens to arrive near the building, the moment the woman's body hits the concrete. He holds her as she speaks her final words. He kisses her, and she is no more. A crowd has captured this moment live. What follows is the killers meteoric rise to stardom, but with all that attention, how is he going to get rid of that body in his trunk? The wordless film conveys each character’s thoughts through their actions. Carlos Conceição who once majored in literature, takes the adage of show don't tell even further by never having a word uttered.

The film is so beautiful, that you almost forget you’re following a serial killer. The world believes him to be a Millennial Hero according to Youtube. From paparazzi to police to rideshare drivers, everyone wants a selfie with him. The killer speeds through the night in his sportscar searching for prey. Our killer crosses paths with a woman whose car has broken down It must be fate, or it could be his undoing. Actress Joana Ribeiro plays multiple roles. As it says on the IMDB page she plays, 'All the victims, young nun.' I had no idea while watching the film. I include this detail so if you haven't seen Name Above Title, you'll be better equipped than I was.

Name Above Title has already won a few awards, and I believe will continue to do so. The film has firmly placed Carlos Conceição on my radar, and I'll be seeing out all of his work now. Though the idea of a film with no dialogue can be off putting to some, if you're a genre fan or a fan of great cinematography, you will not be disappointed.