The Way to Shadow Garden (Stan Brakhage, 1954)

The earliest Brakhage film I've seen and I was surprised by its sense of narrative/story as opposed to the rest of the Brakhage library I've been exposed to.  Treading the lines between avant-garde and narrative.  Yet the film feels just as personal as the rest of Brakhage's work. Someone losing touch with society, getting farther and farther away from normalcy.  No sense of reality. The sound design is incredible in portraying this decay of normality.  By the time we reach the negative images at the end, it's clear that our protagonist has lost all sense of reality. Stunning