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Le Carceri Uncanny

The interior of this place is underground, forgotten, and a small window high up becomes unreachable, staring down on the repressed human subject on whom space appears to close in. A machine rhythmically turns, powering the space while disempowering the man. The darkness in which the human resides is full of sorrow and sordidness, as he mindlessly works to keep the machine running. The days are repetitive and a descent into insanity ensues. The light becomes a hope for escape, but is life beyond what is known truly better off?

  • Marc Haas
    Director
  • Peter Shand
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 44 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    September 30, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.37:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Marc Haas

Living in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Marc graduated with a Master of Architecture from Kent State University before transitioning to filmmaking. The Summer of 2020 marked his final semester at KSU, held virtually because of the Covid-19 pandemic, where Associate Professor, John Yoder, Ph.D., offered a studio "Sense and Cinesthesia: Architecture After Affect" which combined film and architecture to elicit emotional and sensorial responses. Marc credits his professor as being the spark that motivated him to recapture the dreams he held as a child to simply make films because of his need to.
Marc's goal is to continue making films and hopes to one day direct a feature film.

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Director Statement

Le Carceri Uncanny expands upon my architecture thesis project, a non-narrative, silent, two-minute short film. The original goal of the film was to comment on buildings that were designed for cities but failed to accommodate human concerns.
I was inspired to continue the project as a narrative short film, and prompted by concerns surrounding Covid-19, Le Carceri Uncanny became a psychoanalytic exploration of incarceration vs. freedom, man vs. machine, and light vs. dark. The world in which the story takes place is below ground, where a society must power machines all day to keep the city running. The days are repetitive, people grind gears, go home, then head back to work in the same dark space with only one window placed high up. One day, someone looks to the light as hope for escape, but is life beyond what is known truly better off?
The film was shot in my basement, as well as the local movie theater where I work. A great friend of mine, Peter Shand, acted and produced the sound design which became integral to the atmosphere. The desaturated, and eventually over-saturated film was shot in a 2.37:1 aspect ratio to give the sense that our actor is truly enclosed in this space. While watching this film, I wanted the viewer to feel the enclosure, repetition, and descent into madness felt by our actor.