Blue My Mind (Little Mermaid Body Horror)

 

The “coming of age” theme has been exploited in so many films over the years that I’d probably have a brain aneurysm in the process of trying to name them all. Cynical elitism aside, however, at times a healthy dash of artistic flair combined with strong cinematography can give even the most cliched of ideas in film a more appetizing flavor. Is this where I drop an example? Alright: Blue My Mind, the feature length debut from Swiss director Lisa Brühlmann. The trailer is directly below, switch on subtitles if necessary.

 
 

 

The film revolves around Mia (Luna Wedler), a young teenager at a new school displaying many angsty, hormonal-girl stereotypes. As she comes into adulthood and begins taking advantage of the fact that nearly everyone her age with a penis wants both a literal and figurative piece of her, her body begins to go through a series of bizarre mutations that parallel her sexual awakening. Mutations of a rather aquatic nature, to say the least. FLCL but with Euro party culture and no aliens or head-emerging robots? Maybe. Brühlmann’s reinforcement of this aesthetic throughout Blue My Mind is the film’s biggest seller, as a color palette featuring many blues and grays as well as a hazy sense of editing works wonderfully toward creating a feeling of being under water.

 
 

Blue My Mind has been dubbed “body horror” on many film sites (see above the appearance of not-so “part of your world” gills on Mia’s side), but the horror aspect is something that comes primarily in its last 20 minutes. It’s easily the most enjoyable part of the film, but it also feels underdeveloped, as though its more drama-heavy first hour overshadows its darker, slightly rushed ending. It’s definitely enjoyable, but a smoother sense of pacing and mood would probably benefit Brühlmann’s future films enormously.

 

Blue My Mind Official Facebook

Written by Che Chimaera

Blue My Mind (2018)
Lisa Brühlmann (director), Dark Star Pictures, Tellfilm (distributor)
3.7 / 5