People of a certain age will remember the fear and excitement that came with having to select a movie from the science fiction section of the local video store. Many of the movies there were downright horrible, but a few were more than merely great; they were inexplicably transcendent. Beyond the Black Rainbow pays tribute to those enigmatic genre gems by both emulating them, and building upon them.

Deep within the new-age Arboria Institute, a young woman with unusual abilities is being imprisoned — or perhaps cared for by Dr. Barry Nyle. As portrayed by Michael Rogers and Eva Allan, this seemingly simple doctor-patient relationship becomes increasingly more complex as the movie progresses. The mysteries surrounding the characters, as well as the Institute’s ultimate purpose are slowly revealed in a languid cinematic style evoking only the most obscure 80’s sci-fi classics.

Ultimately, Beyond the Black Rainbow is as much experience as narrative, and the otherworldly visuals and moogtastic soundtrack work at least as hard to tell this story as the performers themselves. So buckle in, open your mind and travel back to the psionic, psychotropic future that never was.