In science, experiments are the main catalyst of important discoveries. Most would define experimenting as trying out different ideas to see what works and what does not. In the Athens Film Festival competition series, “Experimental Epics,” which played April 28, some experiments were successful while others blew up.

The very first film, “Spaceboy: a Cosmic Love Affair,” set the surreal tone of the series as the film, set to a backdrop of a starry night, shows an astronaut being seduced by a large woman in a diamond bodysuit. The creepy tone is set by the song, which plays in the background and narrates what can loosely be described as a plot. There was no dialogue in this short film, only the narration from the song. The colors used produce a psychedelic-type effect and left the audience bewildered.

The audience was then quickly thrown into a completely different style of film. “Too Bare or Too Bush,” is exactly what one might think it is about: shaving “down there.” This movie starts as a still of a bush and then zooms backwards and out to show a woman washing dishes inside the house and a man mowing the lawn outside. The film is driven by a documentary-style dialogue consisting of a discussion between women young and old, including one professional waxer, all talking about whether they shave “down there”. They discuss why they do it or why they do not and the societal expectations surrounding feminine shaving.

The almost documentary-like style continues into the next piece entitled, “On Food and Migration.” The film alternates between black-and-white video of a man cooking and color film of a teen cooking. There is narration over a discussion of foreign and traditional foods that the narrator brought with him and makes often. The otherwise fairly normal film is interspersed with random stills and scenes such as two spoons “having sex,” road signs, a man washing filmstrips and a man throwing up. These seemingly unrelated scenes threw the audience off a bit.

The discussion of foreign foods transitions well into the next film, “Merdiven,” which takes place in a foreign country and has dialogue in another language. The film follows a seemingly normal yet quirky woman throughout her daily activities. The woman uses the same fabric for her curtains, clothes, wallpaper and everything else. Although no greater meaning seemed to be in the movie, it was interesting although it dragged a bit.

The next film, “Seven Songs About Thunder,” did not drag in the slightest as it fit the plot of an entire movie into 20 minutes. A woman in her mid-20s named Libby finds the body of a Carolyn, who was in her high school band, by a creek and visits her taking her phone and hat. Libby is seeing a therapist and talks openly about sexual terms leaving the therapist uncomfortable. Carolyn’s mother’s calls are chilling as her pain is shown in her voice. Libby is pretending to be pregnant with a pillow, and a young couple thinks that they will get to adopt the “baby” after delivery. The narration, songs and effects of the film made it seem theater-quality but the plot was definitely underdeveloped presumably due to time constraints.

The creepy tone continues with “café,” which shows vampires in a bar then cuts to show the rising of a vampire from his coffin. The black and white film then depicts the vampire biting a girl’s neck, then being staked in the heart by an unseen attacker. The movie’s shallow plot makes it confusing but it is eerie nonetheless.

The next film utilizes black and white in a completely different way, using it not to create an eerie feeling but to transport the viewer to the 1960’s. “The Audit” follows an overly dramatic woman who is being audited. While she waits in the hall of the building, she talks to the camera and reveals interesting aspects of her life. The film has the feel of “Chicago” because of the woman’s huge gestures and outfit. The camera work is visually dynamic as the stark black and white contrasts portrayed in the film create a surreal feeling, yet the antics of main character, Pochsy, keep it hilarious. At one point, she says that she wrote to a child who led an almost unbelievably horrible life and her response was, “Takuna Mahata. It’s African for no worries.” Quotes like this kept the audience engaged and laughing.

“The Feeder”, did not seem to fit with the others at all. That disgusting film was somehow captured from the view inside someone’s mouth and simply shows what goes into a person’s mouth everyday. With no dialogue, just noises from the outside world, the film is thankfully short. This film kept the audience gagging from the noises and views of crunched up food.

The final film in the competition was called “The Elektra/Vampyr.” The film started out as if it were going to have a plot as it talks about the Greek mythology behind Elektra and the man who sacrificed his daughter to the war gods. He tries to bring peace but is then killed by his wife for the act. The two main characters then proceed to act out creepy tales such as a girl being kidnapped by a vampire. Interspersed with random scenes are scenes that seem to be trying to act out Elektra when she unearths a battle-ax, but the rest of the scenes just show the women unearthing things from the dirt, having photo-shoots, wearing wings, and singing. The end of the film left a very confused audience.

Overall, “The Audit” seemed to be the biggest crowd pleaser as it kept the audience laughing. “Seven Songs about Thunder” had the most thought-out plot although it was hard to follow in the short time frame of the film. Also, “The Feeder” was one of the most innovative, if disgusting, films as most were wondering how the director was able to shoot from inside someone’s mouth. The films were all definitely deserving of the title “experimental,” but some rose while others flopped.

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