Phantom limbs, dreaming of disability — Screambox exclusive Above the Knee brings Body Integrity Dysphoria (BID) into the limelight with a thrilling story of a man and his disturbing relationship with a limb.
Amir has a secret. He’s tormented by visions of his leg rotting and longs to cut it off, convinced it doesn’t belong to him. So, he devises a plan – one that will drag everyone around him into his relentless quest for a dark redemption.
Above the Knee, IMDB
Day after day, Amir goes through the motions of pretending everything is normal. His girlfriend supports his quest for new employment. He speaks to old friends. But he also plans his leg’s demise, a lower third counts down “days until “the accident.’” Amir even buys meat and a chainsaw to practice on. Above the Knee builds tension by showing us a rotting appendage, but also the human aspect of what he is going through. Piece by piece, his battle with BID destroys relationships and worsens his mental state.
Above the Knee manages to pull off something I think would be extremely difficult: making me empathize with someone having the horrific hallucinations Amir is having. In no world would I know what it’s like having BID — I feel all my limbs are where they need to be on my body and I love each and every one of them. But through the many bloody snippets of thought and with each grab of his knee, nursing a wound that isn’t there, I was in the same headspace as he was. The leg had to go. NOW.
Filled with both beautiful, scenic shots and awfully bloody floorboards, Above the Knee blurs the lines between health and horror. One look into Amir’s doe eyes invites us into the depths of his brain, seeing what he sees. On one hand, we can almost smell his blackened toes, flesh rotting to the floor. On the other, we see his loved ones try to help him through a difficult time, not realizing how in over their heads they really are.
Above the Knee isn’t just a horror film, it’s a look into the psyche of a man on the edge. What is real and what isn’t? Will this decrepit leg finally cease to exist and free Amir of his pain, or will he suffer still? Above the Knee makes you feel every bit of anguish Amir feels and still leaves you with a gaping wound in your heart. Sometimes the real horrors are all in our head, a disfigurement of the imagination.
Above the Knee streams exclusively on Screambox tomorrow, September 9th!
