Beyond the Black Rainbow is weird. I’m still not sure what to think about it. I kind of want to watch it again.

Canadian and filmed in Vancouver, it was made in 2010 by Panos Cosmatos (an excellent name for the director and writer of this movie). It screams 1970s scifi thriller with sweeping aural landscapes, minimal dialogue, intense colors and patterns, and is rife with paranoia (a characteristic abundant in films from the ’70s). It reminds me of movies like Zabriski Point and The Passenger by Antonioni, but isn’t quite of that caliber what with mediocre writing and somewhat disjointed plot. It sure is gorgeous to look at, though (I think it’s supposed to be a bit of a drug movie).

Happily, it includes references to other things I really like: the name Benway (a recurring character in William S. Bourroughs writing), and a tip to The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (one of my favorite movies of all time).

I’d recommend this if you’re in for something a little weird and slow, and love the genre.