Expressionism

First arising in Germany in the early 1900s, Expressionism developed into an artistic movement that sought to effect a reappraisal of individuality and the subjective world, aspects completely ignored by the then-reigning Impressionism movement.

Thus, the stylistic imprint of German Expressionism lies in its marked distortion of reality, that is, a refusal to represent reality objectively, along with an extreme exaggeration of the emotional component - elements that, when it comes to the Seventh Art, translate into a depiction of hallucinatory and/or suffocating contexts through the use of sets rich with non-naturalistic backgrounds, often characterized by unrealistic design, vertiginous perspectives, distorted architecture, warped angles, and an unsettling play of shadows pierced by violent slices of light. Customarily wandering through these sets are mysterious, estranged characters, generally played by heavily made-up actors affecting a theatrical performance.

Unconventional with a penchant for shadowy fantasy, Expressionist films are imbued with themes of unprecedented bleakness. On one side are cruel tormentors, deranged megalomaniacs, evil doppelgängers - on the other are fragile, frightened souls, estranged characters, victims of an adverse fate. With that in mind, it's certainly no coincidence that "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" ("Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari", 1920), the quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema, is considered by many to be the first true horror film. This Tag is intended to group together films whose esthetics evoke, at least in part, the style and philosophy described above.