Eden Log is a 2007 French science fiction horror film directed and co-written by Franck Vestiel.
The film is shot with only hand-held cameras in underground locations 60 feet (18 m) below the surface, as well as in a sewer. A grey and blue multilevel set is used in Eden Log, which, according to Vestiel, was designed to “avoid the look of the usual science fiction future […] The last thing I wanted was for Eden Log to fall into the trap of those science fiction films where the characters live in super-sterile, bathroom-like environments. […] And I did not want people to be able to date the film by identifying the technology, which is why I have no apparatuses, no dials, no buttons.”
The surrealistic landscapes of Eden Log were inspired by Vestiel’s favourite films, such as Escape from New York and Dawn of the Dead, and comics and literature, such as Frank Miller’s Daredevil and Métal Hurlant.
Reviews:
“Eden Log is both fascinating and frustrating in its wilful obscurity. It doesn’t sit easily as a science-fiction film, even though the material pushes it to rest within genre confines. There are no clear explanations offered for anything or of the world we are in […] As such, Eden Log falls just between the irritatingly pretentious and the potentially fascinating.” Moria
“Franck Vestiel goes overtime in creating a gloomy, end-of-days atmosphere within the clammy ruins of the ruinous underground complex, and the feeling of danger and paranoia is well conveyed. But the film is an incredibly alienating experience, leaving the viewer lost most of the time and then almost angered by the final resolution.” A Wasted Life
