This week, Mars Volta guitarist and co-leader Omar Rodríguez-López will find his new film “The Sentimental Engine Slayer” being premiered at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam.
The film is written, directed, and produced by Rodríguez-López who also stars in the main role Barlam. Judging from the music in available clips, we think it’s safe to assume that he scored the film itself as well. Its story, somewhat ambiguous from the trailer and clip, is semi-autobiographical and documents some of Rodríguez-López’s sex and drug addled experiences growing up in El Paso, Texas
Rodríguez-López is not a first time filmmaker, as he has made four unreleased films “A Manual Dexterity” (the score of which was released as a solo project from the guitarist), “Letters From Dystopia,” “El Divino Influjo De Los Secretos” and “Boiling Death Request.” “Now that I’m dealing with the reality that it is getting invited to these festivals, and that the film is no longer ‘mine,’ I am nervous as all hell!” Rodríguez-López told Wired in a recent interview. We would also imagine the self-avowed film buff has set himself a fairly high bar to reach. In the interview, he rattles off some of favorites of world cinema, and we have to say, the guy knows his stuff.
We look forward to seeing whether or not Rodríguez-López holds his own as a filmmaker anywhere near as well as he does being a prolific musician. With its druggy haze and western America desert surroundings, “This Sentimental Engine Slayer” seems to share some qualities (at least from the short clips) to the sort of madness invoked Terry Gilliam’s take on “Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas” or cautionary drug tales like “Spun.” Check out the somewhat disorienting trailer below. – Jon Davies