Neptune Frost (2022)

Directed by Saul Williams & Anisia Uzeyman. Starring Cheryl Isheja, Elvis Ngabo, Bertrand Nintereste, Elaine Umuhire.

An alchemical Afrofuturist experiment from the mind of Saul Williams, who wrote the screen story, co-directed, co-produced, and (of course) scored the music. The narrative is almost as hard to follow as it to describe, but it’s set in an East African village and depicts an intersex escapee called Neptune leading a hacker uprising among workers who are being exploited by authoritarian industrialists for cheap labor and valuable natural resources. There’s plenty to absorb (and relish) here as an introspective collage of music and image, but it’s emotionally aloof, which is just about the last thing you want from a revolution-minded art piece. The more specific its otherworldly tech influence grows, the less distinctive its angry, polyrhythmic protest becomes—I enjoyed the sensory experience, but it resonated for me about as much as a style-over-substance music video running the better part of two hours. Ezra Miller was a producer as well, and Lin-Manuel Miranda co-executive produced. Premiered at Cannes in 2021.

67/100