A Monster with its Mouth Agape

A Monster with Its Mouth Agape
2024 | 10’ | 4K DCP, 7.1 Sound
original format: 16mm
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Press Kit > download pdf

Rebellious Bodies, International Butoh Dance Festival (Expanded live performance) November 2, 2023

Family Film Project #13 (Video Installation, Porto, Portugal) October 15-19th, 2024

A Monster with Its Mouth Agape is an experimental film inspired by the work of Butoh master Yoshito Ohno. Its multiple forms interpret metamorphic states, radiating from monochromatic intensity to multihued abstraction, with a soundtrack that reverberates the haunting soundscapes from the chaotic post-war climate of Japan. The work features a rare audio recording of Ohno–a sonic choreography, with each movement reimagined through the moving image. As Yoshito’s influence ripples into the present, these subversive forms of dance embody a sense of timelessness and transformation, deeply rooted in Japanese archaic tradition, folklore, and mythology.

Credits

Cinematography, direction & editing by Steven McInerney
Art direction in collaboration with Vincent Rang
Original Soundtrack by Howlround and Merkaba Macabre
Spoken word choreography by Yoshito Ohno
Colour grade and surround mix by Steven Mclnerney
Special thanks to Keiko Yoshida and Mai Burns
Commissioned for Rebellious Bodies International Butoh Dance Festival
Extra special thanks to Toshio Mizohata
Supported by Dance Archive Network, Arts Council England, British Council & BFI Network
Film services by Guage Film & Kodak Film Lab London
A Psyché Tropes Film Release
Copyright MMXXIV. All rights reserved

Exhibitions

FISURA – Festival Internacional de Cine y Video Experimental. National Centre of the Arts, Mexico City. Mexico, August, 22, 2025

International Film Festival Rotterdam (Official Selection) The Netherlands, February 1 & 3, 2025 (with artist talk)

Beijing International Short Film Festival, Siphon: Experimental Film Container - Beijing, China, November 24, 2024

Family Film Project #13 (Video Installation, Porto, Portugal) October 15-19th, 2024

Rebellious Bodies, International Butoh Dance Festival (Expanded live performance) November 2, 2023

Poster

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