Altered States (1980)
Or love will transcend transcendence. William Hurt makes a notable debut in Ken Russell's deliriously fun film as a scientist, racked with deep-rooted religious guilt after losing his father, obsessed with exploring the unreachable realms of the subconscious through mind altering drugs and sensory deprivation tanks. It's often giddy, cram-packed with quick-fire, articulate scientific exposition from its leads (which notably upset the original author/scriptwriter Paddy Chayefsky, who felt the dialogue wasn't treated with enough respect, leading to him taking his name off the credits) offset by extraordinary hallucinogenic visuals that at times recalls Kubrick's 2001, with plenty of Russell's trademark nightmarish theological imagery scattered throughout. It turns all b-movie at one point as Hurt transcendentally reaches his primal state, but doesn't stray too far into the realm of camp before righting itself with more intellectual discourse and a good old fashioned 'love will save the day' ending.
I haven't seen this film in about 20 years, and I almost forgot how much I love it.
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