Orchestrator of Storms (Frightfest 2022)(Review)

Many directors, namely European cult ones, have fallen by the wayside in the throes of time. Very few of them have had such a dramatic positive shift in public – albeit public in a cult horror way – opinion than that of French surrealist Jean Rollin. Very much a filmmaker embroiled in gothic and fantastique Horror, despite branching out into splatter and thriller genres, his films were focused on mysterious vampire groups, towering and creepy mediaeval castles and a sort of poetic, ethereal magic that binds the characters in his films together. These themes would be wrapped in a large swathe of eroticism and surreal imagery that made Rollin’s films deeply distinctive and unlike anything else being made – or would go on to be made. Despite the fact he began making films in the 60s he remained disconnected from the New Wave and mainstream French cinema. He was considered an outsider and was one of the few horror directors France had during this period. 

Since his tragic death in 2010 there have been multiple books written about him (Lost Girls: The Phantasmagorical Cinema of Jean Rollin and Fascination: The Celluloid Dreams of Jean Rollin) and now a documentary focused on his life and career directed by Dima Ballin and Kat Ellinger; it features interviews with the authors of the aforementioned books, friends and colleagues of Rollin’s, the owner of Redemption films and many more. Orchestra of Storms, which comes from a phrase used by Rollin to describe how he wanted to make films, is part of a wave of reappraisal focused on Rollin as an auteur, a rebel and someone who never gave up on his dream of making personal films. The documentary aims to look at his career in a new light in a way that radically differs from the general opinion of his films in the 70s and 80s.

Firstly it is worth noting that this is very much a documentary for people who are already somewhat familiar with the work of Rollin already. Anyone who hasn’t seen a single film will mostly be left a bit confused, especially with how unique his films are. There is a great opening stretch of the documentary that focuses on Rollin’s childhood; his early cinema experiences watching French and American serials, the life-changing impact that watching the theatre performances his dad was involved in had, and potentially most important the influence his mum had on him through her involvement with academic and surrealists in France. When he was a very young boy Rollin came into contact with surrealists such as Georges Bataille (whom his mother was dating) and André Breton. The documentary explains in great detail the effects this had on Rollin’s early life and entire filmmaking career. 

Slowly the documentary becomes a bit more predictable and almost runs through his films chronologically with various talking heads discussing both the making of each film and the themes and influences on them. Whilst some of these are definitely interesting and informative, highlights include Rollin’s long-time collaborators Brigitte Lahaie and Véronique Djaouti, they can eventually become a drag as the only thing breaking them up are memoirs written by Rollin and clips of his films. It is sort of ironic in a sense how wordy and dialogue-heavy this documentary is given how little of it Rollin actually uses in his films, focusing more on visual imagery to convey emotions and atmosphere. However, the documentary shines bright when people are talking about their own personal experiences with Rollin whether it is on set or at a film festival. There is a genuine love for him and the many films he created which radiates out of the screen.

Whilst it doesn’t break the boundaries of documentary filmmaking and largely remains a standard affair, there is a wealth of knowledge here both about his film production process and his life as a young child all the way up until his death. It is full of people who are clearly very passionate about the director, and it is great to see such love for a director who believed no one appreciated his work for the majority of his life. Rollin is one of the best horror directors of his generation, maybe even of all time; hopefully, this documentary can deepen people’s connections to his films and maybe even spread his name to new fans.

Autumn’s Archive – Orchestrator of Storms (Frightfest 2022)