W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism

W.R. – Misterije organizma

What does the energy unleashed through orgasm have to do with the state of communist Yugoslavia circa 1971? Only counterculture filmmaker Dušan Makavejev can provide an answer (or even raise such a question, to begin with). This surreal documentary-fiction collision begins as an investigation into the life and work of controversial psychologist and philosopher Wilhelm Reich, only to explode into a free-form narrative of a beautiful young Slavic girl’s sexual liberation. Banned upon its release in the director’s homeland, this art-house smash is both whimsical and bold in its blending of politics and sexuality.
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Direction: Dušan Makavejev
Script: Dušan Makavejev
Cinematography: Alexander Petković, Pega Popović
Editing: Ivanka Vukasović
Sound: Ludwig Probst, Dušan Aleksić
Music: Bojana Marijan
Actors: Milena Dravić, Ivica Vidović, Jagoda Kaloper, Tuli Kupferberg, Zoran Radmilović, Jackie Curtis, Miodrag Andrić
Producers: Dušan Makavejev, Svetozar Udovicki
Art Direction: Dragoljub Ivkov
Format: 35mm
Color: Color
Production Country: Yugoslavia
Production Year: 1971
Duration: 85΄
Contact: Arsenal Institute für Film und Videokunst, mail@arsenal-berlin.de
Awards/Distinctions: FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention, Interfilm Award – Berlin International Film Festival 1971, Gold Hugo for Best Feature –Chicago International Film Festival 1971

Dušan Makavejev

Dušan Makavejev (1932–2019) is by far the premier figure in Yugoslavian film history. His work, deeply rooted in his native land’s experience, persistently defied the political and sexual taboos of his time and invited censorship in dozens of countries. Highly allegorical and of dreamlike texture, his films represent a sardonic and anarchist view on all kinds of oppressive regimes, sending out a universal message of liberation.

Filmography

1965 Man is Not a Bird
1967 Love Affair, or the Case of the Missing Switchboard Operator
1968 Innocence Unprotected (doc)
1971 W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism
1974 Sweet Movie
1981 Montenegro
1985 The Coca-Cola Kid
1988 Manifesto
1993 Gorilla Bathes at Noon