Midlands Review of Atlas

midlandsmovies • November 24, 2022

Atlas


Directed by Duncan MacLeod


2022


Fishbulb Films


A new documentary has appeared out of the blue from Leicester’s Fishbulb Films, who turn their lens towards the aquatic endeavours of local artist Olivier Leger as he undertakes a brand-new piece of art.

 

Leger is an ocean wildlife artist and he's introduced when he’s about to set sail on a new adventure as he prepares to start his latest painting named ‘Atlas’.

 

Inspired by the fanciful features within the earth’s deep blue, Leger’s work is not the only focus, as the documentary mixes interviews and discussions as it tackles diverse topics like environmentalism and our associations with nature.

 

Atlas contains some great editing from the beginning as we are taken on a voyage between shots where clever dissolves link the colours of Leger’s paint with the vibrant movement of the sea.

 

His swirling brushstrokes are captured in well-composed shots, and we get to see Leger in his studio as he introduces us to the tools of his craft. From paper, knives, pencils and paint pots, the artist welcomes the viewer into his home giving the documentary a heartfelt and warm tone.

 

With my own personal interest in whales (that’s a story for another time involving a childhood trip to the Natural History Museum), Olivier’s large canvas of a humpback is particularly striking and well-illustrated.


The painting’s name is Whaley McWhale face, a wry tongue in cheek title that reflects Leger’s quirky personality. He is at times very serious about his passions, but can also be as playful as the kinetic pictures he creates. Also witnessed when see him in his tiny red Mini Cooper that he uses to transport some of his large canvases to galleries.

 

Atlas however is going to be an image of a micro-detailed turtle and hopes to explore the creation myth where the animal has the world on the back of its shell. Like many of his other works, Leger is using creatures themselves as the coral reef who “feed” the natural eco-system.


The artist uses the minutiae of sea life to create a bigger portrait of ocean significance. And despite starting with a “beautiful” blank white canvas, Olivier often uses his own travel photos as the source of his art and combines them into a much more complex whole.


The documentary gently captures the artist as he goes about his work and this is interspersed with sincere discussions on man’s relationship with the natural world as well as the current effects of our pollution and interference.


Warm and enthusiastic, it’s not hard to connect with both Leger’s work and the meanings behind it. And it’s helped by quaint animations to help explain some of the more scientific aspects. From kelp to otters, the film itself has its own ecosystem of relational components, excellently animated here by Miriam Bean.


The documentary also teases harder-hitting topics too. We are told that ‘how long does a painting take’* and ‘how many fish are in them’ are the regular queries from people who see Leger’s art. However, despite this engagement, a certain apathy exists – are these really the questions we should be asking of paintings that convey so many more important messages?


Atlas concludes though as a very honest and practical look at an honest and practical artist with the impressive artwork itself showcasing a fabulous talent. The documentary is a satisfying sea of ideas and also very varied to keep audiences engaged, using talking-heads and fly-on-the-wall techniques to both educate and entertain.


Shown from one artist's perspective, Atlas impressively maps the multiple complex factors that face our natural world but also explores how these marvellous paintings can make us think about our own responsibilities as shared animals on this fragile but beautiful earth.


★★★★

4/5

 

Michael Sales

 

* “A really effing long time” we are told. 

By midlandsmovies April 26, 2025
Up! (1976) Dir. Russ Meyer  Well, bi-Adolf Hitler BDSM is not something (a) I thought I’d ever see 5 minutes into a movie and (b) ever expected to write in my lifetime to be fair but this spicy start is pretty standard for the work of exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer. Up! is a kind of r*pe-revenge softcore p*rn film (there’s gonna be a fair bit of self-censorship in this review so apologies in advance), the type Meyer is known for. I’d describe the plot in more detail but it’s mostly a convoluted and incoherent mess of double-crossing, murder, violence and lots and lots of humping. In short, a man called Adolph gets murdered and a woman investigates (kinda) the circumstances but as she does so, a group of locals blackmail, attack and screw each other with the murder mystery barely mentioned throughout. With so little narrative, it could be argued if it’s essentially p*rn? To be fair, not far off. It’s about extreme as you can go without simply making a s*x film. Is that a…no, it’s a belly button hole. Bookending the film (and also seen at various points throughout) is a Greek Chorus - simply a busty fully nude woman of course - who delivers dialogue like “Pummelling the scrotum with joyous supplication” and other such poeticisms. This artistic flourish is mostly pointless - the actress herself saying the words were tough to learn because it was utter nonsense. On a technical level, the editing is surprisingly well done and the 4k image is frankly fantastic. Someone somewhere must be putting together a post-modern take about the beautiful landscapes and cinematography of Meyer’s * ahem * output. But it definitely does have a kitsch artistry. It has certainly provided plenty of cinematic influence though. Elements of Tarantino grindhouse sensibilities are on show - Meyers likes bosoms as much as Quents likes feet - and there’s even a leather gimp early on. I can also see how its had an impact on Ti West X’s with a focus on sexuality and the body as well, more obviously, Anna Biller’s feminist-twist The Love Witch (2016). Suffice to say it’s not for the weak of heart. I think in this day and age you can’t go into this completely blind to its style, period and context though. It's an X-rated Carry On style that was bad taste then and it’s bad taste now. It revels in its sleaziness without a single hint of shame or apology. Simply saying 'deal with it'. The main negative though is the absence of plot - if the film can even be looked at like that - which is barely present. This is a shame as the whole thing could do with a bit more coherence rather than endless shagging. But it’s far from titillation, it’s mostly clowning - albeit a very adult version of it. More saucy than sexy. Trying to review this through modern sensibilities is almost impossible. It’s as offensive can be from the first scene through to the final credits - heck even this 4k menu is simply one of the film's many s*x scenes. But there are some progressive themes as it doesn’t shy from confronting sexual freedom, bisexuality, gay sex, BDSM and consensual exploration. There's moments of comedy thrown in and I enjoyed a frankly hilarious 5-minute monologue explaining the culprit’s intentions, which was a ludicrous way to deliver a slasher-style ending. I suppose the main thing about Up! (and Meyers’ work overall) is there’s a sort of love it or loathe it quality about the whole shebang. But it’s so unlike anything being made today - for good or bad - that it’s never anything other than unpredictably fascinating. More explicit than most Meyers films - in fact more than any film - it’s a lewd, rude and crude (s)exploration with a satirical edge and campy enjoyment bouncing from every frame. ★★★ 3 / 5 Michael Sales Severin Films releases Russ Meyers' UP! (1976) and MOTORPSYCHO (1965) on 28 April 2025 in newly restored and scanned 4k with hours of new and archival Special Features https://severinfilms.co.uk/
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