Mandy

“The psychotic drowns where the mystic swims. You are drowning, I am swimming.” It is with this paraphrased quote from author and mythology professor Joseph Campbell that Red (Nicolas Cage) addresses cult leader Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache) after listening to his degenerate, manic speech about his prophetic status near the climax of Mandy. This declaration, unforgettable and hilariously campy in Cage’s mouth, is also an accurate description of the film’s central dilemma. Panos Cosmatos’ second feature – eight years after his debut Beyond The Black Rainbow – evolves in a world of heavy metal, dark woods, epic Viking legends, and pure love, but not everyone embraces the esoteric with good intentions.