Alter Monrepos (Amélie Daure and Anne-Sophie Charron) has an IV dripping blue liquid into her body, lying on a medical table. Or maybe she’s throwing up. Or is she in hypnotherapy with the cave-dwelling Léandro Lecreulx (Stefano Cassetti)? She could also be hooking up with gas station attendant Chris (director and writer Aurélia Mengin) or El Gringo (Emmanuel Bonami). At least she’s taking photos of everything that happens to her, so that she can show them in therapy and determine what makes her anxious — red — or safe — blue — and then learn what is real. And oh yeah — deal with her mother Rosy (Patricia Barzyk) and get past self-harm and embrace living.

This movie’s PR describes it as “Mario Bava meets David Lynch” but this goes further and better and deeper than that. It’s a world of neon that it stalks through, of desire and despair, of long-buried secrets, of the meanings of colors and a place where it can just all come to a stop so two metallic flaked lovers can grind together while loud mechanical shrill shouts pierce the soundtrack. To compare Mengin’s work to any other creative is a disservice. Here, she announces herself as a bold new voice that will only grow in power and command with each new work. This is not a movie that makes sense and therefore, it makes complete and utter sense. Magical and the note to her father at the end, referring to him as her partner in surrealism, made me wistful.

I watched Scarlet Blue at Pigeon Share FrightFest. It’s the UK’s best, brightest, and largest independent international thriller, fantasy, and horror film festival and has three major events each year in London and Glasgow. Learn more at the official site.