One of the most important films in the history of American avant-garde cinema, Maya Deren's MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON is captivating and dream-like, filled with tinges of psychodrama, murder mystery, and film noir. In a seemingly ordinary Los Angeles home, the film's protagonist, played by the filmmaker herself, gets caught in a eerie loop of symbols (a knife, a poppy, a mirror, a key), repeated movements, and alter egos. Deren made this, her first film, in collaboration with Alexander Hammid, her second husband. An accomplished cinematographer and filmmaker in his own right, Hammid appears alongside Deren in the film as a second spectral presence. In MESHES, everyday objects from the domestic sphere take on ritualistic, magical significance. The elegant special effects, technical prowess and meticulous planning that took place behind the camera serve to beautifully realize a realm with a gravity, logic and temporality all its own. - Livia Bloom