Mothlight

Directed by Stan Brakhage

An avant-garde visual poem that transforms insect fragments into abstract, meditative patterns through direct-to-film animation, celebrating natural form and artistic process.

Seemingly at random, the wings and other bits of moths and insects move rapidly across the screen. Most are brown or sepia; up close, we can see patterns within wings, similar to the veins in a leaf. Sometimes the images look like paper cutouts, like Matisse. Green objects occasionally appear. Most wings are translucent. The technique makes them appear to be stuck directly to the film.