FIRST FILMS: Alex Proyas

The visionary debut feature by Alex Proyas (DARK CITY, THE CROW), emanating from the same lushly twisted cinematic universe as Richard Stanley (HARDWARE, DUST DEVIL), Philip Ridley (THE REFLECTING SKIN) and Vincent Ward (THE NAVIGATOR, VIGIL.)

Dust, dirt and hypercolored skies are everywhere in SPIRITS OF THE AIR’s overwhelming desert landscape, onto which Proyas has constructed a unique post-apocalyptic fantasy homestead. Here, eccentric siblings Felix and Betty live together in an isolated cabin where modern tech is absent, with wheels and gears operating a house full of broken devices to assist their struggle to survive.

In wanders a stranger named Smith, and their simple lives become instantly tumultuous. The wheelchair-bound Felix dreams of flying, and Betty believes their new arrival to be a demonic presence.

Restoration courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment and the American Genre Film Archive.