Dead Hands Dig Deep to Premiere at This Year’s Slamdance Film Festival
Metalheads who need their music with a fair amount of blood-soaked shock are probably well-versed in the ways of Temecula, California’s Kettle Cadaver. Lead singer Edwin Borsheim’s penchant for self-abuse, which reportedly involved nailing his penis to a board, was certainly not for the queasy. Of course, there’s a bit more to Borsheim’s story than initially meets the eye.
Nineteen-year-old writer/director Jai Love explores the enigma that is Edwin Borsheim in his upcoming documentary Dead Hands Dig Deep, which premieres at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The 75-minute documentary “ruminates on a life of violence, mayhem and personal destruction lived on the absolute edge of the known musical universe.”
From the Press Release:
Thirty-eight-year-old Edwin Borsheim of the band Kettle Cadaver, was once known for his bizarre stage antics and brutal self-mutilation. Now, years after the band’s demise, Borsheim has fallen into complete seclusion on his acre of land in which he is surrounded by many of the horrible things he has created. As Edwin spirals further into a hole of drug abuse and self-destruction, those closest to Borsheim dissect his mental complexes as he himself reflects on his dark past. Although Borsheim finds himself trapped in his own home, he just may be saved by human interaction.
Director’s Statement:
Upon being approached to make this documentary about Edwin, I immediately realized that he was a personality that I had to put to screen. I have always been interested in this culture and I found the motivations behind shock rock to be truly captivating; I instantly realized the potential to tell a story that young people like myself would find interesting and strangely relatable.
After months of searching for Edwin, he finally agreed to participate in the project. Once the crew from Australia arrived we went out and met Edwin and it was after our first meeting that I realized this wouldn’t be the story of Kettle Cadaver, rather about Edwin; the story of a man who has reached his end point, the end of his decline. After much reflection, It became the story about what happens when an artist is trapped in his own art, his own world. The film is a combination of many things that work together to set up a world, a place, that for many is frightening and strange.
I would like to think that the film is a character study; a reflection of a life in the suburbs and what it can do to young men. It is also a demented love story, which finds a man driven to insanity, unable to love or be loved because of his challenging personality and increasing psychosis.
Throughout the duration of the shoot, it was difficult to deal with Edwin’s deaths threats and constant talk of suicide, his unpredictable nature always kept the crew and myself on edge; there was never a dull moment. It became clear that this film was almost like therapy to Edwin; he needed this time to reflect on his life in order to move on, take a good look at his life and make a decision of where he wanted to go next.
I think you will ask yourself why he chooses to live like this, and I don’t have an answer for that, nor do I seek one. The reason I chose to end the film like this is a depiction of the destructive nature of human nature. It’s about how we can be so disconnected from each other, even in our minds. Edwin embodies this philosophy and wears it on his sleeve. The film encapsulated the loss of the American dream, the descent of a man into chaos and our longing for companionship as humans.
The world premiere of Dead Hands Dig Deep at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival takes place at 7 p.m. in the Gallery Screening Room on January 22. You can catch an encore screening in the Ballroom Gallery Screening Room at 10:15 p.m. on January 27. If you’re attending this year’s festival, consider giving it a look. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDE8XTazB48&w=640&h=360]
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