What is Meshes of the Afternoon?

Meshes of the Afternoon is one of the most influential works in American experimental cinema. A non-narrative work which has been identified as a key example of the “trance film,” in which a protagonist appears in a dreamlike state, and where the camera conveys his or her subjective focus.

This slow movie was Made by Deren with her husband, cinematographer Alexander Hammid, Meshes of the Afternoon established the independent experimental movement in film in the US.This short film inspired early works by Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage, and other major experimental filmmakers.

Shot by Hammid, a leading documentary filmmaker and cameraman in Europe, the film makes new and surprising use of such standard cinematic devices such as montage editing and matte shots.