The world of fifty-something Othello (played with confidence by Philippe Berson, who also happens to be a performance artist) is split in two. He toils a labourer at a very urban construction site during the day, while also lending his hands to the tailoring trade at night, in an underground cabaret Eldorado. He sews the suit of his heavily-moustached, über-latino type manager/showman (Bernardino Femminielli) with the outmost care. After all, he is handling a man of “blazing flamboyance”. The garment is delicate and intricate, with red sequins and a very tight fit around the waist of the pompous performer. It resembles a bullfighter outfit. This item is a character per se, as the manager establishes: “there are three stages in life: being born, putting on a new costume, and dying”.
Most of the film takes inside the night club, which celebrates its 33rd anniversary. We first meet the macho owner as he gets penetrated by his female partner, fully clad with a strap-on penis. A song about carnival and mysteries of Babylon hints at a meeting point for wild and diverse revellers. The reality is a little different. Costumers are few and far between, and the atmosphere is more akin to a dying brothel than to a boisterous Dyonisiac celebration. Extreme close-ups of make-up and eating oysters with tabasco emphasise the tactile and the palatal, in a movie that prioritises the sensory ahead of the narrative.
The colour red is vital to Eldorado. It adorns the external and also the internal scenes, providing the film with a permanent aura of sex and tension. It also suggests that violence may or may not arise. The lights, the costumes and the walls are all ruby red. Extra filters are added in order to emphasise the colour even further, often to the point of monochromatism. It feels like a modern-day French tribute to the plush 1960s/70s of Kenneth Anger or Dario Argento. Minus the graphic murders and the mustard-smeared genitals.
This 30-minute short film is pleasant to watch, and an eerie music performance at the very end rewards viewers with a scrumptious little surprise. On the other hand, the loose storyline is combined with the red-blooded visuals to little impact. At time, Eldorado feels a little fatuous and turgid, and unsure of its intentions.
Eldorado just premiered in the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival.
