A touchstone of visual storytelling, an example of the power of short-form film, and an inspiration to surrealist storytellers like David Lynch, Maya Deren’s MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON pulls big philosophical questions out of simple materials.
Through visual substitution, object manipulation, arrhythmic editing, and all sorts of narrative trickery, a surreal dream outlines one woman’s fruitless pursuit of ‘true’ identity and her struggle to self-define against the social roles bestowed upon her.
At just 14 minutes long, MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON rocks, no matter which way you watch it. Our recommendation? Turn off the sound, lean in, and pay close attention.
References:
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Show art by Emily Csuy. Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro: “Schiele” by ten thousand lakes, which accompanied the Trylon’s screening of MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON in February 2025.
Timestamps
0:00 - Episode 318: MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (1943)
2:14 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary
4:57 - Versions of this movie and how it changes based on what you watched
11:12 - Is there a consistent thread to grab here? Or is it free association?
26:19 - Subjectivity, objects that change upon perception, and identities that shift without your consent
37:18 - How much of it is “real”? How much is “a dream”? How much of that “matters”?
42:34 - The hooded figure, Maya Deren’s socialism, and violent revelations of the unconscious
45:56 - Form: Looping, duplication, space, and “emotive immediacy”
1:05:49 - The Junk Drawer
1:09:40 - To All the Loves We've Tried Before: 1943
1:10:35 - Cody’s Noteys: Truth or Deren (truth or dare but the dare triggers an open trivia question)
