Adolescence is difficult for everyone, but some people take it especially hard. Young Lars Trier (the “von” came later) must have been one of them, because in three years he went from making a suspiciously cheerful animated film starring a “super sausage” to this unnerving short. Indulgently titled “Why Escape From It You Know You Cannot Escape From? Why Flee From The Picture That Needed Your Retina? Because You Are A Coward!”, 14-year-old Von Trier’s sophomore effort sees young Lars experimenting with Super 8 in his first live-action film.
The plot is taken straight from a nightmare, as an unnamed boy witnesses a cyclist being hit by a truck. The boy runs away only to be chased by the man, who’s been reanimated through some sinister occult force (you can tell ’cause of the candles) and has his face wrapped in bandages. The man chases the boy through the woods and eventually into a field of tall grass, where the two will have their final confrontation to the unholy sounds of acid rock and chanting monks. It’s like a deleted scene from a Wes Craven movie, only it was made by a 14-year-old Danish kid. They grow up so fast, don’t they?