With ¡°Homo Sapiens¡°, director Nikolaus Geyrhalter paints a haunting dystopian vision of civilization minus its creators. This unique documentary consists of nothing but steady, perfectly framed wide-shots of abandoned structures and wastelands. Imagine Wes Anderson doing location shots for ¡°The Walking Dead¡± and you¡¯ll be getting warm.
A location ¡ª often trashed, overgrown, or otherwise run-down ¡ª flashes onto the screen and remains there for 20-30 seconds, disturbed by nothing but the wind or the pattering of rain. Then another, and another, and another, and you are rhythmically drawn into a world that even dystopian sci-fi dreads to go: a vision of post-mankind Earth.
Given the known extinction threats to humanity ¡ª rising seas, plagues, asteroid hits, nuclear bombs, an overload of toxic pollution of the air and water ¡ª it is hard to not view ¡°Homo Sapiens¡± (Japan title, ¡°Jinrui Isan¡°) as a warning. In a telephone interview with Geyrhalter, I asked him whether the film was intended as such.
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