The founding fathers of counterculture, that old anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that was as in love with breaking the rules as in using whatever stimulant was at hand, must be bursting with joy. Although for a long time there was a prejudice against this tendency, in no small thanks to its evident relationship with LSD and recreational drugs, the truth is that the advantages and aesthetic value of it have far surpassed its bad reputation. Therefore, during the end of this decade, the visual language of psychedelic art - kaleidoscopic or fractal patterns, highly contrasting colours and surrealist images - has gained an enormous relevance in popular culture.

Perhaps cinema is the art form more closely intertwined with psychedelic art, with seminal works such as The Trip (Roger Corman, 1967), Barbarella (Roger Vadim, 1968), Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper, 1969) and El Topo (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970) inspiring an entire legion of directors to try their luck in the genre. Such has been the aesthetic influence of psychedelia that it had a strong impact on animation, television series and even video games, especially during the 1990s and 2000s. Titles such as Aeon Flux (1991-1995), The Ren and Stimpy Show (1991-1996) and, more recently, Adventure Time (2010-2018), Rick and Morty (2013-present) and Hotline Miami (2012) have shown that this colorful, intense trend can be a winning pick in almost everything.

However, during the 1980s, psychedelic art and horror movies made a much closer relationship than we could expect. By sublimely mixing stylized violence with ethereal, magenta-instilled images, directors such as Dario Argento, John Carpenter, David Lynch and il capi di tutti capi David Cronenberg created authentic works that would mark the imagination of many artists in the years to come. One cannot help but wonder why there was not a widespread connection with audiences, as many of their films have only achieved cult status.

Nevertheless, even though many of them are retired or a little apart from this kind of imagerie...

... apparently, we can always count on Panos Cosmatos.

Son of the late Greek-Italian filmmaker George P. Cosmatos and the Swedish sculptress Birgitta Ljundberg, our good Panos has a keen interest in psychedelic cinema. He financed his first film, Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010), using leftover royalties from DVD and Blu-Ray sales of what was probably his father's most celebrated film, Tombstone (1993). Premiered at Tribeca and Whistler in 2010, its reception was somewhat ambivalent, with critics and audiences alike applauding its soundtrack and its many visual marvels, but harboring mixed feelings about its slow rhythm and abstract, sometimes incoherent script.

It must have had some success, though; seven years after its premiere, and thanks to the good work of RLJE Films in distribution and Legion M, XYZ Films and SpectreVision in production, Panos Cosmatos perhaps brings us his most promising and suggestive feature film to date. A violent story of revenge that gathers the best of 80s aesthetics, the horror of what rural United States so frequently hides from us and an outstanding job from its main cast...

... which is quite a lot to say when Nicolas Cage is included in said cast.

That film, of course, is Mandy.

Mandy takes us deep into the Shadow Mountains, located in the outskirts of the Mojave Desert, in 1983. Red Miller, a lumberjack, lives there with his girlfriend, Mandy Bloom. Mandy is a trained fantasy artist and illustrator who works as a cashier in a gas station; Red is shown to deeply love and respect Mandy and, given their initial dialogues in the plot, it soon becomes evident that they are both survivors of diverse kinds of abuse. Although the film is ambiguous when it comes to delving deeper into this, it is evident that Mandy had a very rough childhood, while Red seems to be a sobering alcoholic, probably because of having PTSD as a former soldier.

Nevertheless, both live an idyllic, simple life in the mountains, without any major worries.

Of course, this would not be a film if peace were everlasting...

...and, in Mandy, conflict knocks very quickly at the door.

In a clear reference to Charles Manson's antics during the late 60s and early 70s, a dark cult called the Children of the New Dawn enters the scene. Led by Jeremiah Sand, a disgraced folk singer with an ego that is as loose as his curly mane, the cult members quickly organize themselves to kidnap Mandy - after a fortuitous encounter on the road where their leader gets starstrucked by the girl - and deliver her to the licentious whims of her messiah.

To say this has disastrous consequences for Red and Mandy's relationship is an understatement. Soon, Red will find himself as the avenging angel of his girlfriend's unfortunate and gruesome death and, in the tradition of 80s classic action movies, will only want to chew bubble gum and kick ass…

...and he will be out of bubble gum very soon.

Not that we are watching the most original idea on the face of the Earth: we have probably already seen one or two stories - understatement, again - in which a true beast of a man, pacified by the love of an adorable female figure, decides to return to its usual wrongdoings once she dies. However, it's hard to blame Cosmatos as a screenwriter for that when Mandy does it so well: the rhythm is quite well-paced, the film doesn't fall into long over-expositions of plot and we are allowed, as an audience, to fill in the missing holes with what seems most logical, or supernatural, to us.

Ambivalence, which apparently is characteristic of Cosmatos in his plots, is welcomed in a film that draws on so many influences; the best of Carpenter’s terror from the 80s, Argento's graphic violence and Lynch's surreal visuals come together here to give us a simple, direct narrative that lends itself well to reinterpretation in different occasions. That is not to say it is perfect, though; the turn from pastoral americana to bloodthirsty thriller is not immune to certain plot holes that won't do much to earn the respect of those who enjoy their films better with a good dose of consistency.

As far as production is concerned, though, Mandy is nothing short of masterful. Panos Cosmatos keeps the good work he did on Beyond the Black Rainbow and elevates it to the umpteenth power with a dedication to detail that truly shines through the whole movie. As a result, he gives us some praiseworthy shots, where you can see that Benjamin Loeb - Mandy's cinematographer - and he really had fun with their work. Both in the first act of the film, subliminal and ethereal in its approach, and in the second and third acts, where unrestricted action and violence finally take place, the duo in charge of the camera demonstrate outstanding skills.

Jóhann Jóhannsson's excellent work on the soundtrack deserves a special mention. The veteran composer, having come from real wonder gigs like Prisoners (2013), Sicario (2015) - whose tunes and language are really all over the place here - and Arrival (2016), delivers a series of melodies so disturbing and dark that it is difficult to conceive Mandy with another soundtrack but his. Projects like this make news of his death in February 2018, caused by an accidental overdose, tremendously unfortunate and untimely, having robbed us of a musician and composer in the prime of his career.

In terms of acting, we are probably dealing with the film that will be responsible for the revival of Nicolas Cage's film career... for reasons that, at least for the moment, are beyond my comprehension. It is true that this is the first movie in a long time in which the already hardened Hollywood actor gives himself back to the idea of acting, being capable of an expressive range and a seriousness in his work that reminds us of his work in Leaving Las Vegas (1995) and Adaptation (2002). Truth be told, however, his role is too close to him and his, let's say, singular behavior, to a degree where you just wonder if his casting isn't some kind of inside joke. For now, at last, he has the benefit of doubt.

However, Andrea Riseborough as Mandy and Linus Roache as Jeremiah Sand truly steal the show for themselves. The former does a truly outstanding job as a girl so withdrawn and immersed in her world, very credible in her role as an avant-garde artist and stoner girl and who, for obvious reasons, is sorely missed during the rest of the movie. About the latter, it goes without saying that Mandy confirms how sad it is that he is a supporting actor devoted mostly to independent cinema and television; his disturbed and egotistical Jeremiah Sand is the rightful villain this movie deserved.

As curious notes in the rest of the cast, we will find some veterans in the horror genre, even in antagonistic roles as well: Bill Duke makes a lovely cameo as Caruthers, Red's best friend and one of the strongest clues the plot gives us about his past. Richard Brake, who enjoys a certain celebrity status today thanks to performing as the Night’s King in Game of Thrones (2011-present), appears here as a hermit chemist, responsible for a very potent mixture of LSD that explains a lot of the film’s plot twists. Ned Dennehy, a supporting actor with great experience in TV and film – especially in the terror and crime genres – convincingly brings to life the Children of the New Dawn’s most fervent follower, in a role full of disturbing interactions and horror.

All of the above only can produce one verdict: even though it is certainly not for all audiences, Mandy is a true masterpiece. A movie that will print images in your mind for a long time, that may rescue or boost the film careers of more than one of its members – it will undoubtedly skyrocket the career of its director - and that, either if its plot is a little love-or-hate, will still not leave you indifferent.

And even if it does...