Until the Light Takes Us is a 2008 American documentary film about early Norwegian black metal, directed by Aaron Aites and Audrey Ewell. The film premiered at the AFI Film Festival in 2008, a year before it was released in theaters.
| Until the Light Takes Us | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Aaron Aites Audrey Ewell |
| Produced by | Aaron Aites Tyler Brodie Audrey Ewell Gill Holland Frederick Howard |
| Starring | Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad Harmony Korine Bjarne Melgaard Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg Bård "Faust" Eithun |
| Cinematography | Audrey Ewell Odd Reinhardt Nicolaysen |
| Edited by | Andrew Ford |
Production companies | Artists Public Domain Field Pictures The Group Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Variance Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Featured interviewees
edit- Gylve "Fenriz" Nagell (Darkthrone)
- Varg "Count Grishnackh" Vikernes (Burzum, Mayhem)
- Jan Axel "Hellhammer" Blomberg (Mayhem)
- Olve "Abbath" Eikemo (Immortal)
- Harald "Demonaz" Nævdal (Immortal)
- Bjarne Melgaard (visual artist)
- Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (Ulver, Arcturus)
- Kjetil "Frost" Haraldstad (Satyricon, 1349, Keep of Kalessin)
- Bård "Faust" Eithun (Emperor) – Eithun chose to appear as a silhouette, with his voice distorted
- Archives footage
- Øystein "Euronymous" Aarseth (died in 1993) (Mayhem)
- Per "Dead" Ohlin (died in 1991) (Mayhem)
- Snorre "Blackthorn" Ruch (Thorns, Mayhem)
Release
editVariance Films acquired the theatrical rights to the film in the U.S. and released it in New York City on December 4, 2009.[1] The film grossed $7,246 on a single screen in its first week, the second highest per-screen gross of any debuting film at the time (behind Up in the Air).[citation needed]
Reception
editUntil the Light Takes Us received a 54 out of 100 score on Metacritic[2] and a 46% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[1]
Andrew O'Hehir of Salon.com called the film "crafty and compelling".[3] Nick Pinkerton of The Village Voice wrote, "The filmmakers seem cowed into obeisance by their subjects. Varg's last onscreen appearance is accompanied by a montage fitting a schoolyard crush, and the film's title is the translation of Burzum's fourth album, Hvis lyset tar oss. [...] [the film] arrives a decade too late to add much."[4]
See also
edit- Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground brings into focus the church burning and murders that occurred around 1993.
- Lords of Chaos, a dramatization of some events in the Norwegian black metal scene.
- Metal: A Headbanger's Journey, a documentary film discussing the traits and originators of some of metal's many subgenres, including Norwegian black metal.
References
edit- ^ a b "Until the Light Takes Us". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
- ^ "Until the Light Takes Us Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More – Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (December 7, 2009). "Until the Light Takes Us – Salon.com". Salon.com. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
- ^ Pinkerton, Nick (December 1, 2009). "Until the Light Takes Us: A Norwegian Black Metal Documentary – Page 1 – Movies – New York – Village Voice". villagevoice.com. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
