William has a rare affliction – one that most people have never heard of, and even for those who are familiar, many will be sceptical about its legitimacy. He suffers from electrosensitivity; an illness purportedly brought on by a reaction to the electromagnetic fields from telephones, wireless devices and the many forms of radiation modern society relies on to keep us connected. But William is not connected – he spends his days under a shroud of copper-lined fabrics in a foil encased bedroom in a cabin located in the Swedish countryside.
Marie Liden’s directorial debut, Electrical Malady, is a documentary meditating on a rare ailment that requires our compassion. As you step into the world of William and his family, Liden quietly slots into the intimate setting requiring you to leave your scepticism at the door. However, although Liden is focused on the life of William, the once adventurous, social man now forced into introversion by an invisible illness, she is not interested in investigating her subject’s medical diagnosis or a scientific explanation behind it. There is no attempt to convince or convert.
For instance, Liden could have detailed her own experience with electrosensitivity that caused her family to live without many of the comforts of modern life, but she chooses to omit this fact. There is no aim to insert herself into the picture, aside from the odd question she asks William.
What Electric Malady offers instead is a portrait of a man who despite his isolation and extremely limited creative outlets, remains hopeful. Even when he speaks of suicide, it is posited more as an act of euthanasia than of desperation. William has faced those that don’t believe his condition, labelling it simply as unresolved trauma, but after over an hour of watching William struggle with the mundane – such as covering an old Walkman with a tin and dancing in the hallway to keep active – it’s difficult to not be convinced there’s some truth to the matter.
Although Electric Malady deals with a sensitive subject with patience and empathy, there are moments of levity – there’s the absurd image of William covered in his shroud, which makes him resemble a jellyfish, or as his father calls him “The Ghost”. And while his father’s comment is made in jest, William’s affliction has turned him into a ghost, haunting the peripheries of society and distant even his family and friends.
Electric Malady demonstrates how much modern society depends on the radiation we have created and the unknown damage of what we cannot see. In the silent moments broken by the rustling of William’s fabric contraption, you learn that what haunts the screen is the spectre of unnatural radiation we are so blithely unaware of. As such, there is a tragic irony to Electric Malady: that those afflicted cannot experience the film and those who have the privilege of viewing it may not believe the condition even exists.
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ANTICIPATION.
I was both intrigued and sceptical of the subject matter. 3
ENJOYMENT.
Surprisingly moving image of a disconnected life. 3
IN RETROSPECT.
This unique ailment has made me concerned about the invisible dangers of society. 4
Directed by
Marie Liden
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