The Severing, from acclaimed filmmaker Mark Pellington (The Mothman Prophecies), is a visceral and powerful feature-length dance film. This cathartic movement piece was created in collaboration with the brilliant choreographer Nina McNeely (Gaspar Noe’s Climax), rising Dutch cinematographer Evelin Van Rei, and editor Sergio Pinheiro. Inspired by the Wim Wenders film Pina, Pellington was interested in expressing feelings and emotions through a “narrative of movement and text”, told through the physical expression of dancers’ bodies and souls. Grief is physical and lies in the body, in our very DNA, which makes movement the ideal way to communicate it. In Pellington’s words, “It’s the way to express what it feels like to be severed or to feel nothing. The film is a cathartic reencounter for anybody who’s felt loss, or isolation, or struggled with these themes: fear, reconnection, isolation.”

For thoughts on The Severing, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/XOfQo2Hz2JA?t=3109]

Video Quality

The Severing comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that represents the film quite well. The film is visually focused with its spotlight on movement, but the actual ambition of the aesthetic is minimal as the dancers are kept in sparsely dressed and dingy rooms. The film has a slightly cooler push when it comes to the color palette, and many of the colors that make up the body paint are somewhat dulled to further this look. There is nothing artificially boosted here, and director Mark Pellington finds power in the fading self.

Highlights are never an issue as they come through with no instances of blooming, and the black levels retain their depth and do not suffer from crush or compression artifacts. This takes place exclusively in interiors which showcase a nice amount of detail in the shadows. The transfer provides texture within the dance attire and walls of the rooms which makes the world feel more tactile. Kino Lorber has brought this to life quite admirably.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that brings this experience to life well. As mentioned, this is very much a visual experience that is supplemented with a score from Peter G. Adams and some very brief narration. With these being the main elements at play, this audio track delivers the haunting music with perfect fidelity. The little bit of dialogue comes through as clearly as intended, still sounding somewhat distant in the mix. The sound is executed well for what is asked of it. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Mark Pellington, editor Sergio Pinheiro, music composer Peter G. Adams and choreographer Nina McNeely provide a really welcome commentary track in which the creatives guide you a bit through the story, what they intended and how the performers realized their prompts. For such an experimental film, it is great to have at least a little bit of context to help you appreciate things even more.

Behind The Scenes Stills Gallery: A two-and-a-half minute collection of images from the making of the film.

Sacred Reich – “Manifest Reality” Music Video: A five-and-a-half minute video is provided here in which the performances for The Severing were caught.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

The Severing is a very experimental piece of art which is quite haunting and tragically beautiful, but its lack of dialogue or a traditional narrative will keep the audience for this one relatively targeted. Experiencing this film is less an act of analysis and more a feeling that you let overtake you. The way in which the act of movement ties directly into one’s emotional state is quite powerful if you reflect on it with an open mind. The blending of these raw performances with the ethereal music conjures up one of the most unique cinematic experiences of the year. Kino Lorber has provided a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and some handy special features. Recommended

The Severing is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.