Red Cockroaches
Encyclopedia
Red Cockroaches is a Cuban film released in 2003. This feature film was the debut production of Miguel Coyula
and was the result of a two-year effort on a tiny budget of $2,000. Shot entirely using a portable digital camcorder and edited on a home computer, Red Cockroaches is an example of DIY cinema. In its review, Variety
called it a "A triumph of technology in the hands of a visionary with know-how..."
It is the first of a trilogy set against a backdrop of a New York ravaged with acid rains in a society permeated with the ethical values of the ominous DNA21 Corporation. A man in his twenties meets a mysterious young woman who disrupts the banality of his day-to-day existence. Together, they will embark on an obsessive-destructive journey revealing dark family secrets and forbidden desires.
and ruled by an omnipotent cloning company called DNA21. Cryptic in nature and merging several genres, mainly sci-fi and drama with sporadic dark humor and surrealist touches, Red Cockroaches’ morally ambiguous incest story has gathered as many fans as detractors making it a modern underground cult movie.
Some reviewers have pointed that scene transitions and edits mimic the effect of a pop-up book
.
Rather than attempting to make DV
look like film, the colors were digitally manipulated to the extreme with the purpose of enhancing the atmosphere. This along with multiple layer composites generated the movie’s distinctive, often saturated look.
Miguel Coyula
Miguel Coyula Aquino is a Cuban filmmaker. At age 17, he made his first short with a VHS camcorder, which led to his admittance to the International Film School of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba...
and was the result of a two-year effort on a tiny budget of $2,000. Shot entirely using a portable digital camcorder and edited on a home computer, Red Cockroaches is an example of DIY cinema. In its review, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called it a "A triumph of technology in the hands of a visionary with know-how..."
It is the first of a trilogy set against a backdrop of a New York ravaged with acid rains in a society permeated with the ethical values of the ominous DNA21 Corporation. A man in his twenties meets a mysterious young woman who disrupts the banality of his day-to-day existence. Together, they will embark on an obsessive-destructive journey revealing dark family secrets and forbidden desires.
Plot
A young man meets a mysterious girl in the subway and gets romantically involved with her, only to later discover that she might be his long lost sister. Dark and atmospheric, the world the characters inhabit is an alternative New York City with bouts of Acid RainAcid rain
Acid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
and ruled by an omnipotent cloning company called DNA21. Cryptic in nature and merging several genres, mainly sci-fi and drama with sporadic dark humor and surrealist touches, Red Cockroaches’ morally ambiguous incest story has gathered as many fans as detractors making it a modern underground cult movie.
Visuals
Based on carefully planned storyboards, every time there is a cut in the film, it is to a new camera setup that hasn't been used before as opposed to traditional film language where the editor cuts back to a same shot during a scene. In the case of Red Cockroaches the influence of comic book storytelling is obvious.Some reviewers have pointed that scene transitions and edits mimic the effect of a pop-up book
Pop-up book
The term pop-up book is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
.
Rather than attempting to make DV
DV
DV is a format for the digital recording and playing back of digital video. The DV codec was launched in 1995 with joint efforts of leading producers of video camcorders....
look like film, the colors were digitally manipulated to the extreme with the purpose of enhancing the atmosphere. This along with multiple layer composites generated the movie’s distinctive, often saturated look.
Awards
- GreenCine Online Film Festival, US, June 2005: Narrative Grand Prize
- San Francisco Fearless Tales, US, April 2005: Best Editing
- Festival Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre, Argentina, Nov 2004: Special Mention for Visual Concept
- SciencePlusFiction, Italy, Nov 2004: Special Mention
- Festival Cineplaza, Cuba, Oct 2004: Gran Premio Plaza (Top Prize), Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound.
- Microcinema Fest, US, July 2004: Best of Fest, Best Director, Best Science Fiction Feature, Best Actor, Best Editing, Best FX
- Encuentro Nacional de Video, Cuba, June 2004: Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Special Mention (Narrative)
- Digital Independent Film Festival (DIFF), US, May 2004: Grand Jury Prize
- Muestra de Nuevos Realizadores, Cuba, Feb 2004: Special Award of the Jury
- Festival Almacen de la Imagen, Cuba, Oct 2003: Best Feature, Best Editing, Cinema Award