Fantaspoa 2021
Röckët Stähr’s Death of a Rockstar
In the year 2164, when rock n roll is banned, a group of underground rebels, lead by a mad scientist, attempt to start a non-violent revolution by waking up the docile masses via a cloned rockstar sent on a guerrilla tour to “rock n roll them free from the tyranny”. But they soon find out, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.
Fantaspoa 2021 featured a massive lineup of great genre films. Röckët Stähr’s Death of a Rockstar is probably my favorite. Goosebumps immediately exploded up and down my arms as the soundtrack rocked me to my core. The colorful, throwback animation (reminiscent of The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine”) and subtitled lyrics scrawling across the screen in real-time, make your heart skip a beat. I had forgotten what it was like to experience the joy of a live concert. And even though this is a film, the energy feels alive. This is a rock opera for the ages.
It’s unafraid to “stick it to the man” as it overflows with social commentary. Set in a world where freedom of expression has been stifled by the marriage of religion and government. Sound familiar? Its messaging includes, “Art will save the world”, and “History is doomed to repeat itself.” But it’s also a love story, a commentary on mental health, violence, and the media. This film is a little bit of everything and it’s brilliant. I want to see this on Broadway. I want to see shadow casts perform this at midnight screenings. The music is eclectic. It’s got John Cameron Mitchell vibes, Rocky Horror sexiness, and even a touch of Monty Python humor. It deserves to be watched with an audience. It’s an epic animated rock concert bursting with pop culture references. This film kicks so much ass I need everyone to experience it so we can party together. It will have you on your feet, dancing and grinning like a fool. Röckët Stähr’s Death of a Rockstar is destined for cult status.
Brazil’s long-running Fantaspoa Fantastic Film Festival celebrated its seventeenth edition online and completely free of charge. The 2021 edition of the beloved South American genre festival was supported by a special grant from the Brazilian government, which is offered to relevant cultural events amidst the pandemic. Running through April 18th, the seventeenth edition of Fantaspoa featured more than 100 shorts and 50 feature films from more than 35 countries. All festival screenings had a cap of 3,000 views, and all were geo-blocked to Brazilian viewers.
The film was part of Fantaspoa 2021, which ran for free on the streaming platform Darkflix, from April 9th through the 18th. All film screenings were geo-blocked to Brazil.
Additional details are available at www.fantaspoa.com.
