Emptiness

  • Documentary
8/14/1994
14

Storyline

Emptiness is a visually striking experimental documentary that explores the complex intersections between body, power, and faith. Through a sequence of dense, symbolic compositions, the film unfolds as a thunderous meditation on the abuses of capital and the collapse of language. Mercado constructs a stark visual and sonic architecture where medicine and religion appear as intertwined systems of biopower—structures that discipline, sanctify, and ultimately exhaust the body. Minimal yet overwhelming, Emptiness confronts the spectator with the material presence of the “body-thing,” situating the human form at the center of a critical reflection on control, belief, and emptiness itself.

Budget:
$20,000

    Reviews

    • scrk97

      "A visceral meditation on the anatomy of power

      Emptiness establishes Marcello Mercado as one of the few filmmakers capable of transforming the body into a field of philosophical inquiry. In this short experimental documentary, the body is neither metaphor nor representationit is a residue, an anatomical fact exposed to the violence of belief and institutional control. Mercado orchestrates a visual language that oscillates between clinical precision and spiritual decay, blending the aesthetics of medical observation with the despair of faith under pressure.

      What makes Emptiness exceptional is its refusal to comfort: the film resists narrative closure, demanding a physical response from the viewer. Through meticulously constructed sound...

      November 5, 2025