VELD (UZBEKISTAN/1987/NAZIM TULYAKHODZAYEV)

Taking its inspiration from the Ray Bradbury book of the same name, Veld concerns Linda and Mike, a couple living in a state-of-the-art house which has been designed to gratify their every need. The “nursery”, actually a large virtual reality booth, has the power to recreate any place on earth, and is a favourite hangout for the couple’s kids, Peter and Wendy. One night, Linda wakens to the sound of lions roaring loudly, a sound traced to the nursery which appears to be stuck in an African grassland setting. Convinced that this way of life has destroyed the family entirely, Linda and Mike become withdrawn and childish, leaving Peter and Wendy to usurp them at the top of the family unit in a bizarre role reversal. Speaking to a psychiatrist, Mike begins to decode the children’s obsession with the nursery and, before long, his fear of this self-aware house is realised.

Technology is the true enemy here, stealing power from the last generation and giving it to the next. This is wonderfully reflected in the intimidating set design: from the long, thin doors of the nursery to the engulfing electronic bed curtain, every part of the house appears designed to keep its inhabitants locked inside. Director Nazim Tulyakhodzayev builds up the suspense meticulously, deliberately reducing the children to secondary characters to ensure that the parents project their emotions realistically. Although many of the film’s thematic merits can be ascribed to Bradbury’s original story, Veld is a deftly inventive psychological horror.