When discussing the older works of director Nacho Cerdà, people exclusively always refer to "Aftermath" and never mention "The Awakening" or "Genesis". Okay, admittedly "Aftermath" had the groundbreaking gore and dealt with genuinely shocking subject matter of necrophilia, but "Genesis" is a far superior film and easily one of the most haunting & visually impressive short films I ever saw. Nacho Cerdà here approaches an entirely different aspect of death, namely the difficult process of accepting the loss of a loved one and move on. Due to the melancholic and dramatic themes of this film, it naturally isn't as gross and repulsive as "Aftermath", but instead an intense, harrowing and unforgettable portrait of a man whose mourning process for his departed wife eventually turns against him. Pep Tosar, who also was in "Aftermath", plays a clearly heart-broken husband/artist trying to get over the death of his wife by creating a sculpture that looks exactly like her. Flashbacks and nightmarish sequences indicate, however, that the husband may have been responsible for the car accident his wife died in and the statue soon becomes of flesh and blood while the sculptor's own body turns to stone. The atmosphere of "Genesis" is uniquely grim & saddening, also because there's simply one (or maybe two) characters in the film, one filming location and absolutely no dialogs. Even though it's a terrific film, its playtime of 30 minutes is actually a good thing, because it's incredibly intense. Xavi Gimenez' camera-work is brilliant there's no other way to put it and sublimely tasteful and stylish despite the subject matter. Cerdà's direction is perfect, the music is enchanting and the overall ambiance of the film literally sent cold shivers down my spine. Undoubtedly the best project Nacho Cerdà ever achieved, and that includes "Aftermath" and "The Abandoned".
