Orgone Theory (Short film, 2019) Mature

The text in the film is from Reich's book about orgone theory, The Function of the Orgasm. This book describes Reich's medical and scientific work which revealed the existence of a radiating biological energy, orgone energy. Reich investigates the importance of sexuality for human life and its relevance in understanding society's problems.

Wilhelm Reich's controversial ideas about the nature of God, sexuality and his association with communism meant that his work banned and his inventions and experiments destroyed. But the ideas persisted. We built an Orgone Accumulator in Berlin.

I love chambers, sealed spaces that feel like little worlds outside of everyday reality. The frame of the film is designed to mirror the frame of the accumulator so when you're watching it can feel like you're entering that space, it's a liminal space, completely functionless and stark. 

I love the way the sterile metal lined box gets progressively more smeared, sweated and imprinted with the marks of the previous occupants. Layers and traces of the history of the bodies inside. Going from something clinical