Ep810: IndieSeen: CHETZEMOKA'S CURSE (2000) / Dogme 95 Discussion

Published: Oct. 13, 2022, 11:16 a.m.

At long last, IndieSeen returns! Ian welcomes back filmmaker/indie film guru Sujewa Ekanayake for an education in real-time, as they review Chetzemoka’s Curse and talk Dogme 95!

Rick Schmidt's 2000 feature film centers on Marie (Maya Berthoud), a struggling hotel worker living in the Pacific Northwest whose ambitions and love life remain stuck in neutral. No, this isn't the setup of a cutesy rom-com; it's the doorway to a haunting portrait of damaged souls trapped within the legacy of a Native American curse (think Stephen King by way of Richard Linklater).

Ian and Sujewa look at how the film conforms to (and breaks away from) the ten rules of Dogme 95, a bold filmmaking edict set forth by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg as a challenge to artists everywhere. Ian ranks Chetzemoka’s Curse as one of the most unsettling and unique stealth-horror films he's ever seen, and Sujewa catches everyone up on all his moviemaking adventures from the last half-year!

Timestamps:

  • Intro / Sujewa Catch-up: 0:00 - 10:00

  • History of Dogme 95: 10:01 - 25:31

  • The Rules of Dogme 95: 25:32 - 28:13

  • Chetzemoka’s Curse Discussion: 28:14 - 56:46

  • Outro: 56:47 - 58:18

Show Links: