Possibly in Michigan

[StevePulaski]

Possibly in Michigan (1983)
Directed by: Cecilia Condit

Rating: ★★★

Possibly in Michigan is a peculiar short film, ostensibly trying to be a music video, a lucid, operatic showcase for avant-garde talent, and perhaps nothing at all at a concise eleven minutes long. The scarier thing is that it's kind of successful.

Looking, judging many of these short films - especially the kind you either find really late at night perusing Youtube or Letterboxd - on the basis of what they are is challenging purely for the reason that one is not always sure what they are. Possibly in Michigan is ostensibly trying to be a music video whilst a story about a woman (Jill Sands) and her friend (Karen Skladany) who are being stalked at a mall by a cannibal (Bill Blume). Punctuating their attempts at trying to lose the cannibal are random, often still images of everything from dreamlike sequences to what appears to be the victim female lying in a bed of flowers. Little makes sense and little is for the faint of heart.

The recommendation comes from Possibly in Michigan's sheer absurdity and subtle ability to evoke a typical suburban setting and turn it on its head completely. Part of me is convinced that director Cecilia Condit wanted to make this a complete parody of the "bizarre" events we see occur in suburban settings in film, such as divorces or even bullying in schools. Possibly in Michigan takes it all a step further and makes it completely insane and unreasonable, and with music that one can lose themselves in and cinematography that makes the entire thing feel like the craziest fever dream ever, I wouldn't be surprised if you felt like you dreamed Possibly in Michigan rather than watched it.

Starring: Jill Sands, Karen Skladany, and Bill Blume. Directed by: Cecilia Condit.