Until the Light Takes Us

2008 film by Aaron Aites
  • October 31, 2008 (2008-10-31) (AFI Film Festival)
  • December 4, 2009 (2009-12-04) (United States)
Running time
93 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

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.

Featured interviewees

  • 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

Variance 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

Until 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

  • 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

  1. ^ a b "Until the Light Takes Us". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  2. ^ "Until the Light Takes Us Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More – Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  3. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (December 7, 2009). "Until the Light Takes Us – Salon.com". Salon.com. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  4. ^ 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.

External links