Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then

Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then, released in 2010, is a distinctive indie movie that heralds the distinct voice of its creator, Brent Green. It stars Donna Kozloskie and Michael McGinley in the lead roles, pushing the boundaries of the cinematic medium to bring forth an unconventional narrative that is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the indomitable human spirit.

The film is an amalgamation of experimental stop-motion animation and live-action, providing an immersive viewing experience that transports the audience from their everyday world to the ambit of the characters in the film. It is the narrative adaptation of the real-life story of Leonard Wood, a hardware salesman turned eccentric architect from Kentucky, and his wife, Mary. The authenticity of the story enriches the viewing experience, adding a layer of depth to the unconventional narrative.

In the absence of dialogues, Kozloskie and McGinley communicate their characters' thoughts and emotions through their expressions, subjective camera angles, and keen visuals. Kozloskie embodies Mary's endearing spirit with a gentle strength, her performance silently speaking volumes. McGinley embraces the complexity of Leonard with aplomb, bringing out the eccentricities of his character without turning him into an abstract caricature.

Adding to the general atmosphere of the film is the intriguing soundscape that intertwined with the visuals. The musical score by Green himself, is hauntingly beautiful and at times, jarringly discordant, enhancing the high emotional stakes while also conveying a sense of surrealism that permeates the narrative. The sound encapsulates the unpredictability of life itself, perfectly accompanying the visuals to make every scene memorable.

Leonard, after the diagnosis of Mary's terminal illness, turns their house into a mystical, disorienting structure. It's through building the house that Leonard aims to fight the injustices of life, to create a space where miracles are possible and Mary is safe. Setting the narrative apart is this strange structure, the unusual angles, and hidden passageways reflecting Leonard's dire efforts to perturb the normal sequence of events and change his wife's fate. His desperate, sincere act of creation reflects the universal human fear of losing a loved one and a fervent desire to do anything possible to prevent it.

Electricity is a recurring motif in the film, allowing for another level of interpretation. It's a symbol of the unstoppable force of nature that Leonard is fighting, as well as his means for possibly altering the course of his wife's future. His quest to build a healing machine has a profound emotional resonance that touches the viewer at a deeply human level, representing the ceaseless struggle to hold onto hope even when faced with the inevitability of loss.

Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then utilizes the medium of film to the fullest, drawing on the multi-layered narrative and exploiting the aesthetics of cinema to draw out the tumultuous emotions of its characters. Director Brent Green's innovative technique creates a universe that is as hauntingly surreal as it is tragically beautiful.

Each shot of the film is painstakingly crafted with an exactitude that is a testament to Leonard Wood's tale. The first full-length feature made from stop-motion animation that incorporates life-size sets, the film is not just a medium of storytelling but also an extraordinary work of art. The stylistic choice of the film reflects the narrative's unease and the protagonist's delusion and is a visual manifestation of the themes of the film.

Brent Green's Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then redefines the standards of independent cinema. Its innovatively artistic approach towards a heartrendingly real story results in a cinematic experience unparalleled in its emotional depth and visual inventiveness. By telling Leonard and Mary's story, the film highlights love's power, and its resilience through art, even in the face of the harshest adversities, ultimately delivering a message that is as powerful as it is profound. Every aspect of the film—the raw performances, the vivid visuals, the atmospheric sound design—resonate together to create a unique cinematic universe that is as grief-stricken as it is hopeful, as real as it is surreal, and as heart-rendingly tragic as it is resiliently optimistic.