Until the Light Takes Us
Until the Light Takes Us is an American documentary film about early Norwegian black metal by directors Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell. The film premiered at the AFI Film Festival in 2008, a year before it was released in film theaters.
Until the Light Takes Us | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Aaron Aites Audrey Ewell |
Produced by | Aaron Aites Tyler Brodie Audrey Ewell Gill Holland Frederick Howard |
Starring | Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad Harmony Korine Bjarne Melgaard Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg Bård "Faust" Eithun |
Cinematography | Audrey Ewell Odd Reinhardt Nicolaysen |
Edited by | Andrew Ford |
Production company | Artists Public Domain Field Pictures The Group Entertainment |
Distributed by | Variance Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Featured interviewees
- Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell (Darkthrone)
- Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes (Burzum, Mayhem)
- Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg (Mayhem)
- Olve "Abbath" Eikemo (Immortal)
- Harald "Demonaz" Nævdal (Immortal)
- Bjarne Melgaard (visual artist)
- Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (Ulver, Arcturus)
- Kjetil "Frost" Haraldstad (Satyricon, 1349, Keep of Kalessin)
- Bård "Faust" Eithun (Emperor) – Eithun chose to appear as a silhouette, with his voice distorted
- Archives footage
- Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (died in 1993) (Mayhem)
- Per "Dead" Ohlin (died in 1991) (Mayhem)
- Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch (Thorns, Mayhem)
Release
Variance Films acquired the theatrical rights to the film in the U.S. and released it in New York City on December 4, 2009.[1] The film grossed $7,246 on a single screen in its first week, the second highest per-screen gross of any debuting film at the time (behind Up in the Air).
Reception
Until the Light Takes Us has received a 54 approval rating at Metacritic[2] and a 48% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[1]
Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com called the film "crafty and compelling".[3] Nick Pinkerton of The Village Voice wrote, "The filmmakers seem cowed into obeisance by their subjects. Varg's last onscreen appearance is accompanied by a montage fitting a schoolyard crush, and the film's title is the translation of Burzum's fourth album, Hvis lyset tar oss. [...] [the film] arrives a decade too late to add much."[4]
See also
- Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, brings into focus the church burning and murders that occurred around 1993.
- Lords of Chaos, a dramatization of some events in the Norwegian black metal scene
References
- "Until the Light Takes Us – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- "Until the Light Takes Us Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More – Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- O'Hehir, Andrew (December 7, 2009). "Until the Light Takes Us – Salon.com". Salon.com. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- Pinkerton, Nick (December 1, 2009). "Until the Light Takes Us: A Norwegian Black Metal Documentary – Page 1 – Movies – New York – Village Voice". villagevoice.com. Retrieved September 25, 2012.