You literally don’t know how everything will come out in the end in the elegantly edgy dramatic short Auganic, written and directed by Krit Komkrichwarakool. The film opens in a chamber filled with researchers sitting in front of a partition. Mi-Yeon (Ramona Kim) announces that due to the unique circumstances of today’s demonstration, the subject, Kai (Matt Dejanovic), will be standing behind the partition as he prepares. She explained that it would only be at the end of the demonstration that the barrier would be removed so that the researchers could authenticate the results themselves.
As Kai steps behind the curtain and starts undoing his pants, he remembers the night this all began. He was dejected over an art project that didn’t go anywhere while his husband, Nick (Kenny Brain), tried to cheer him up while spooning in bed. A lot of economic pressure is hanging over the couple, as only Nick brings in income to support Kai’s art. They are at the point now that they are having to sell the farm where they live. Nick manages to get Kai into the mood, and they make love, but this time with a huge surprise at the climax. Worried, they both see Dr. Lawrence (Deimon Slagg), who confirms he has never seen anything in science to explain something like this…
“Dr. Lawrence… confirms he has never seen anything in science to explain something like this.”
One of my favorite classic movie sequences is when Dorothy goes to sleep in the field of narcotic poppies in The Wizard of Oz. That symbol of comfort and coziness comes to mind when the frame displays the rolling plains of Nick’s chest hair. The visuals accentuated the feeling of safety through domestic security but also had a constant erotic undercurrent, like a shark fin jutting from the waves. Komkrichwarakool absolutely understands the alchemy of utilizing the human form for thematic purposes.
The contrast between the impact of the first incident, where the act is viewed from outside the house with the bedroom window closed, and the fully graphic coupling in the finale is startling in how well the variations of restraint work. Brain’s sumptuous chest wool is put to amazing use, particularly in the history-making final shot for the closing credits.
What is truly shocking is the gravity of the filmmaker’s impressive, heavy emotional explorations inside an absurdist fable. This is anything but zany, as Komkrichwarakool is able to replicate the pain involved with the real brass tacks of perpetual compromise that long-term cohabitation demands. The situation is unreal, but the domestic concerns are very real.
That so much dramatic depth is achieved in less than 20 minutes floors me. Auganic is some serious medicine with a surreal spoon of sexy sugar to help it go down perfectly. This is obviously a sign of the richness of what will come next from Komkrichwarakool.
"…impressive heavy emotional explorations inside an absurdist fable."
