A great documentary that premiered a few months after HR Giger died. Unfortunately, it was started when HR Giger's health was already clearly deteriorating. The interviews with him are quite short, many are with his personal and professional entourage.

The storytelling is not very linear, some old footage from Giger's youth and from his various movie/Hollywood assignments are mixed in. You will see more interview clips with Giger himself in these segments.

As an introduction and indicator if this movie is interesting to you, watch the short movie 'HR GIGER HOME MADE' (available for free on YouTube), which uses the same setting in Giger's house and garden.

I would recommend this movie to all (surreal) art lovers, especially those who might have prejudices and only know his body of work (Giger also was quite often reduced to his work on the Alien creature, which doesn't do him justice at all) but not the real and unique person/artist behind it.

'DARK STAR: H.R. GIGER'S WORLD': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A documentary film exploring the life, and work, of the popular Swiss painter, sculptor and set designer (known as) H.R. Giger. The film focuses on Giger, at the age of 74, when his health was severely deteriorating. It was written and directed by Belinda Sallin, in her feature film debut, and it contains multiple interviews with Giger, as well as his friends and work associates. I found the movie to be extremely slow-paced, even boring (at times), but still, definitely, visually pleasing (like the majority of Giger's work).

The movie takes place in the last days of Giger's life, shortly before he died (on May 12, 2014). The filmmaker interviews Giger, and follows him around, watching him slowly do day-to-day things. Sallin also interviews Giger's wife, and multiple co-workers, and friends of his, as well. A lot of the visuals are filled with Giger's beautiful art.

The film, like I said, is really slow paced, to a somewhat painful extent; I found my thoughts drifting (a lot)! It is interesting, getting to know Giger, if only just a little, in his final days of life. It's also cool to see that he was a 'cat person', like me! I can never really get tired of looking at his fascinating art, too; but I wish there would have been more time spent on 'ALIEN', or 'SPECIES'. Although I was bored, I'm sure obsessive fans of his will be more than pleased.

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I wouldn't consider myself a rabid fan of Gigers work, I don't have anything besides the Alien movies and a poster packed away somewhere to show my love of Giger. That being said you can't deny the genius that is Giger and this documentary had everything I could hope to see from the man and his small crew of loyal followers. In Dark Star the filmmakers give us more than just a peek at Gigers expansive often discussed home. Giger is a gentle man, a quiet and humble eccentric who puts you through a range of emotions in his amazing yet sometimes tragic life. Everything Giger owns and has surrounded himself with has his biomechanical signature on it. I'm very happy Dark star was completed while Giger was still alive I don't think anything can beat seeing his life through his eyes. Absolutely fascinating from start to finish, get lost in the disorienting Nightmare Labyrinth of this genius.