{"id":15,"date":"2007-02-03T22:27:56","date_gmt":"2007-02-03T21:27:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2007\/02\/03\/satan-sheitan\/"},"modified":"2007-02-04T19:44:32","modified_gmt":"2007-02-04T18:44:32","slug":"satan-sheitan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2007\/02\/03\/satan-sheitan\/","title":{"rendered":"SATAN (SHEITAN)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\"satan.jpg\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\nFormat:<\/B> Cinema

\nRelease date:<\/B> 23 February 2007

\nDistributor:<\/B> Tartan Films

\nDirector:<\/B> Kim Chapiron

\nOriginal title:<\/B> Sheitan

\nCast:<\/B> Vincent Cassel, Roxanne Mesquida

\nFrance 2006

\n91 minutes\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nSome cultural commentators will automatically applaud anything presented as ‘youth’ or ‘street’ for fear of looking like old farts. This has very much worked in the favour of Kourtrajme (French street slang for ‘short film’), an urban collective of young film-makers, musicians and graphic designers, to which Kim Chapiron, director of Satan<\/I>, belongs. After the crude shorts posted on the Kourtrajme website gained underground fame, the group was hyped-up by the French press and bigged-up by La Haine<\/I> director Matthieu Kassovitz and actor Vincent Cassel – both of whom appeared in some of the early shorts. Even Chris Marker, the legendary director of La Jetée<\/I> (1962), who surely should know better, did not hesitate to anoint them as the new wave of French cinema.<\/p>\n

\nAgreed, their juvenile energy and joyous bashing of the rule book may appear like a breath of fresh air in the face of a stale, stilted French cinema that currently only seems capable of dull middle-of-the-road fare or low-brow, big-budget American-style productions. But youth and cheek are no substitute for talent, something that is sorely lacking in Satan<\/I>, which Cassel starred in as well as produced.<\/p>\n

\nIn this buffoonish comedy horror flick a teenage temptress picks up four urban youths in a club and lures them back to her country house. What they find there is a derelict mansion housing a creepy collection of broken dolls and a manic, moustachioed caretaker – played by Cassel. After an unsettling encounter with a bunch of Deliverance<\/I>-type inbred bumpkins the city kids get seriously freaked out by the increasingly psychotic caretaker and his heavily pregnant wife, who lurches unseen in the background.<\/p>\n

\nThe plot is a mish-mash of regurgitated horror clichés, awkwardly stirred towards a chokingly bad punch line. The humour is grossly puerile while the gratuitous, sleazy sex scenes seem filmed by randy teenagers delighted to have found an excuse to get pretty girls to strip. The face-off between multicultural urban youth and inbred French-born locals offered some promise but unfortunately this satirical furrow is left unploughed.<\/p>\n

\nThis is all in line with Kourtrajme’s ‘revolutionary’ manifesto: <\/p>\n

\n– I swear not to write a script worthy of that name.
\n– I swear to never justify the gratuity of my gratuitous scenes: violence, sex, racism, drugs, animals.
\n– I swear that Jojo the gorilla will appear in each and every one of Kourtrajme productions.
\n– I swear that I will not give any sense to my films but I will make films for the senses.
\n– I swear that each artistic composition (direction, music, actors’ performances) must be dominated by my instinct and not by my reason.<\/p>\n

\nSatan<\/I> sure ticks all the boxes.<\/p>\n

Virginie Sélavy <\/B><\/I><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some cultural commentators will automatically applaud anything presented as ‘youth’ or ‘street’ for fear of looking like old farts. This has very much worked in the favour of Kourtrajme (French street slang for ‘short film’), an urban collective of young film-makers, musicians and graphic designers, to which Kim Chapiron, director of Satan, belongs.
\nReview by Virginie Sélavy <\/B><\/I><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cinema-releases"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","wps_subtitle":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/purUP-f","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5122,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2014\/10\/14\/horsehead\/","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":0},"title":"Horsehead","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An ambitious horror effort by young French director Romain Basset unable to fully control its lavish imagination. Review by Pierre Kapitaniak","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Horsehead","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Horsehead-594x323.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Horsehead-594x323.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Horsehead-594x323.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3709,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2013\/10\/21\/a-nightmare-on-elm-street\/","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":1},"title":"A Nightmare on Elm Street","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"October 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"As Halloween traditions go, one of the most favoured films to watch remains Wes Craven's original 1984 horror slasher. Review by John Bleasdale","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Nightmare on Elm Street","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/A-Nightmare-on-Elm-Street-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/A-Nightmare-on-Elm-Street-594x395.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/A-Nightmare-on-Elm-Street-594x395.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3848,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2013\/11\/21\/blue-is-the-warmest-colour\/","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":2},"title":"Blue Is the Warmest Colour","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"November 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Abdellatif Kechiche's latest film has caused no small amount of controversy since winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year. Comic Strip Review by Sally-Anne Hickman","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Blue is the Warmest Colour_1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Blue-is-the-Warmest-Colour_1-594x891.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Blue-is-the-Warmest-Colour_1-594x891.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/Blue-is-the-Warmest-Colour_1-594x891.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1662,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2011\/05\/13\/rififi\/","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":3},"title":"Rififi","author":"VirginieSelavy","date":"May 13, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The key to Rififi is its vividness: the swiftness of exposition, the tellingness of the dialogue, the immediacy of the character portrayals. Review by Peter Momtchiloff","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_rififi4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_rififi4.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_rififi4.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_rififi4.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_rififi4.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/05\/review_rififi4.jpg?resize=1400%2C800 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6300,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2016\/02\/16\/alone\/","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":4},"title":"Alone","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"February 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"A promising but ultimately disappointing elliptical journey through a labyrinthine Seoul. Review by James B. Evans","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Alone","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Alone-594x363.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Alone-594x363.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Alone-594x363.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6784,"url":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/2017\/03\/23\/haruneko\/","url_meta":{"origin":15,"position":5},"title":"Haruneko","author":"Pam Jahn","date":"March 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hokimoto Sora's debut feature is a quirky, somewhat surreal oddity. Review by James B. Evans","rel":"","context":"In "Check it out"","block_context":{"text":"Check it out","link":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/category\/check-it-out\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Harunek","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Harunek-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Harunek-594x334.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Harunek-594x334.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.electricsheepmagazine.co.uk\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}