Directed by Ursula Puerrer, A. Hans Scheirl, Dietmar Schipek
Written by Ursula Puerrer, Dietmar Schipek
Starring Susana Helmayr, Ursula Puerrer, A. Hans Scheirl
Unrated
Runtime: 84 minutes
Newly restored 4k opening at Metrograph NYC on Nov 18 before expanding to other theaters

by Victoria Potenza, Staff Writer

We burn our hands in the battle for the sun.

In a world where the majority of people get their media intake from streaming services, we forget how many important films are overlooked and simply glossed over. With these services now creating their own content, they are able to keep or get rid of films at their discretion; if a film does not get a physical release, then there is no telling if and when these properties could be seen again. Recently, Netflix announced that it would be removing its original film His House, a 2020 horror film that details the lives of two South Sudan immigrants trying to acclimate to life in the UK. His House is an important film from a cultural standpoint; as a piece of art, though, the thought that it could be removed from the public consciousness is scary. Ultimately, this incident is a reminder of how important film preservation and restoration is in the grand scheme of the historic and social sphere.

While the typical movie watcher might not think too deeply about these matters, the growing culture around genre film preservation has been vital in making formerly inaccessible films accessible, films that would have been impossible to see otherwise. The fact that distributors like Kino Lorber are hard at work bringing underground films like Flaming Ears to a wider audience is essential. Whether the restoration and theatrical release of an Austrian avant-garde “cyberdyke” film is appealing to you or not, bringing these underground queer films to audiences is essential for preserving what we know about queer, international, and women’s film history. Similar to queer cult classics like Born in Flames, these films tell stories that are ripe with timely social commentary and highlight the voices of populations who are often overlooked.

Similar to new releases like Mad God, Flaming Ears chooses to have a loose story structure in order to focus on its incredible visuals and the mastering of painstakingly put-together sets and film techniques. While the audience follows along with three main characters—Volly, Nun, and Spy—whose stories all interconnect, Flaming Ears has a stream of consciousness feel, peeking into different scenes that often only connect in small ways. The dialogue is often as obscure as the rest of the film, yet the visuals are so striking that they often tell the majority of the story. In a post-apocalyptic world set in 2700, it feels right that the audience is disconnected from the behaviors and dialogues of those with whom we have no frame of reference. Their clothing, behaviors, and even eating habits seem odd and often alien.

On the other hand, the setting, a desolate and bombed-out city, is easy to understand. These radical women who are governed entirely by lesbians have the anarchist punk-rock energy that we have seen and experienced in various mediums, both in our understanding of historical events and protests as well as in other types of futuristic stories. Tank Girl, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, and Born in Flames all have a very similar kind of energy. Seeing the commonalities with these different films across continents makes these themes feel universal and ultimately very human. In the present day, where the threat of fascism looms and revolution takes place in the form of social media posts, there is something missing that these stories remind us of: radical revolution and rebellion are essential for change.

Directors Ursula Puerrer, A. Hans Scheirl, and Dietmar Schipek collaborate beautifully to create a unique piece of art that hones in on love, sex, revolution, and the future of humanity. What could feel lacking in narrative structure is made up for in breathtaking technical effects. Shot on Super8, the use of miniatures, stop-motion animation, and matte paintings are striking and an impressive creative feat. Particular scenes and images, like a dismembered hand moving across a table, are so impressive that they will forever be burned into the viewer’s brain.

There is much to appreciate about Flaming Ears; now that it is making big-screen appearances at some of the most iconic arthouse theaters in the US, Puerrer, Scheirl, and Schipek will get to have their radical piece of art touch an entirely new audience. As the film community has more conversations around access and representation, it is very likely that this movie will find a brand new cult audience and get more of the appreciation that it deserves. As a queer, international, women-made, sfx materpiece, Flaming Ears has so much for viewers to revel in, and it is an essential reminder that there is a whole beautiful world of films that mainstream streaming services won’t offer to their subscribers.