By 
★★★
Starring: #WillowBarrett, #SydWalsh and #ChuckBones
Directed by: #BenArcher and #SalRedpath
Short Film Review by: Alexandra James
Directed by Ben Archer and Sal Redpath, Through the Stew, follows Anton a young punk whose attitude is subdued, and who clearly has no strong desires in life. Anton moves aimlessly through the streets of New York city knowing that this is his last day alive in the chaos. With just a packet of cigarettes and an old radio, Anton attempts to settle some of his affairs before he departs forever.
This film uses super 8 footage and is black and white throughout, this can be seen as an extremely difficult and challenging way to capture a story. However, it also created a gritty edge to this film and provided the audience with a new perspective on the city of New York as well as the character Anton himself. Through the Stew shows Anton as extremely detached from the world, completely ignoring his surroundings and the electricity emanating from the city. He was very much aloof and the only way in which the audience could connect or get a sense of his emotions was through this 50’s style radio that he carried around with him that seemed to be sending out messages occasionally.
Through the Stew is a dark and mysterious film and draws a lot of inspiration from No wave cinema and guerilla filmmaking. However, Archer and Redpath have shaped this type of cinematography into their own by weaving the theme of punk rock through the characters and their fashion choices. There appears to be an ageless feel as well, it’s one that cannot be placed in a specific timeframe, with the combination of super 8 footage, a 50s radio with noir recordings as well as elements of punk rock style, this makes it captivating as the piece is layered with a mix of a variety of eras and is perfectly unique in its own right.
Ben Archer and Sal Redpath’s, Through the Stew, is an intense and edgy film that draws in aspects that connect with the punk rock era. The punk rock ethos being freedom, non-conforming and anti-establishment. A lot of the aesthetics are reflected in this film, with its underground and minimalist style and the promotion of individual freedom. An incredibly intriguing film with an original spin on No wave cinema and the backdrop of a hectic New York city as a distant, lonely man leaves it all behind.
