Director: Maya Derren Perhaps the only film that has managed to capture the experience of dreaming better than Un Chien Andalou, Meshes Of The Afternoon should be considered compulsory viewing for anyone interested in filmmaking. Its essentially about a nameless woman (played by Maya Derren herself) who is seemingly trapped in a loop, repeating the same few events over and over again, new details revealing themselves each time the sequence is repeated. The editing does an amazing job of convincing you that things will eventually become clearer, but they never do. You get the impression that the protagonist is uncovering a mystery, piecing together clues in order to escape her circumstances, but this pursuit of meaning without fulfilment is all part of the dreamlike aesthetic. By the end, things are just as confusing as they were at the beginning; theres meaning to be had, but its an illusion. Just like in a dream, nothing quite ever fully makes sense. What's you favourite surrealist movie? Get the discussion started down in the comments.
