Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Begotten is the creation myth brought to life, the story of no less than the violent death of God and the (re)birth of nature on a barren earth.
Begotten is a genuinely singular avant-garde horror film — E. Elias Merhige's high-contrast, grainy, re-photographed imagery is among the most visually distinctive in experimental cinema, earning a well-above-average Cinematography score. Its conception as a silent, mythic creation narrative with no dialogue and an almost purely visceral visual language gives it exceptional Novelty. However, the film's deliberate abstraction means there is almost no conventional plot architecture — events are symbolic tableaux rather than structured narrative, making Plot difficult to assess highly. Acting in a traditional sense is non-existent; performances are ritualistic and physical, which is intentional but limits scoring. The ending, like much of the film, dissolves into nihilistic ambiguity that feels less like a meaningful conclusion and more like an exhaustion of its imagery.