Black Moon 1975

Lily's escape from village violence

On a rural road, Lily witnesses men executing women by firing squad. Startled, she drives away in her car and flees into the woods to escape the carnage. The scene establishes a brutal, surreal war where women and men kill each other with impunity.

Shepherd and the hanging flock

Deep in the trees, Lily finds a flock gathered around their shepherd, who has hanged himself from a tree. The image feels dreamlike and unsettling, hinting at a world where normal rules have collapsed. The stillness of the woods deepens her isolation.

Women in military gear torturing a man

Further into the woods, Lily stumbles on a group of women in military gear torturing a young man. The brutality emphasizes the ongoing, gendered violence of the conflict. Lily realizes she is not safe anywhere and is being drawn deeper into danger.

Meadow refuge and cries of the flowers

Lily abandons her car and flees on foot, slipping into a meadow to rest. She falls asleep and hears the flowers beneath her crying in pain, a strange chorus that blurs dream and reality. The meadow becomes a liminal space between pursuit and refuge.

Unicorn, horsewoman, and naked children

A brown unicorn passes by, followed by a woman on horseback and naked children who begin herding a pig. The sequence adds a fairy-tale eeriness and signals the surreal nature of what Lily is experiencing. It foreshadows the magical elements that inhabit the château.

Château beyond the overgrowth on a hill

Lily trails the man to an apparently abandoned château located beyond overgrowth on a hill. The imposing building promises shelter but feels like a trap where reality and fantasy blur. The transition from the woods to the manor marks a shift from pursuit to captivity.

Animals, old woman, and the assault

Inside the château, the house is furnished and alive with animals. Upstairs an elderly bedridden woman chastises her pet rat Humphrey, then attacks Lily and calls a mysterious radio operator. Alarm clocks suddenly go off, and Lily's slap kills the old woman.

Telepathy, Lily and the Lily siblings arrive; old woman returns to life

Outside in the garden a man sings and tells Lily, telepathically, that his name is Lily. Sister Lily arrives on horseback, and their mother is dead but they remain unresponsive to Lily's explanations. Upstairs the old woman briefly comes back to life before Sister Lily breastfeeds her.

Lily locked in a room; cheese, photos, and a revelation

Brother and Sister Lily lock Lily in the room with the old woman, triggering Lily's fury. She discovers a photo album that hints at the old woman's past, while the radio continues to whisper, exposing that the old woman upstairs may not be real. The unicorn reappears as a reminder of the surreal truth.

Escape, unicorn, and the soldier's corpse

Lily explores the room, eats cheese, and climbs out the window to chase the unicorn across the property. She stumbles upon the corpse of a female soldier; Brother buries it in a grave. The unicorn confronts Lily, calling her mean and reiterating that the old woman upstairs isn't real.

Dinner service and breastfeeding

Back inside, Sister serves dinner to the children while Lily tries to comfort the old woman after another fight with Humphrey. Lily agrees to breastfeed the old woman, deepening the strange bond between caretaker and patient. The scene blends domestic ritual with the ongoing strangeness.

Tristan und Isolde in the parlor

Lily sits at the parlor piano and plays Tristan und Isolde as the children sing along and Sister paints Brother's face while they reenact scenes from the opera. The music additionally unites the family in a ritual that is both tender and uncanny. The boundary between art and reality continues to blur.

Dawn chaos: hawk, battle, and radio futility

At dawn, the old woman disappears; a hawk flies into the house and is decapitated by Brother. Brother and Sister fight in the garden as gunfire erupts from the woods, while Lily watches from the window. She climbs back into the old woman's empty bed and tries the radio, only to have a snake slither onto the bed.

Crowd outside; lullaby of wool and bird life

Outside, a large crowd of sheep and turkeys gathers around the house, turning the property into a strange chorus of animals and noise. The dreamlike atmosphere deepens as Lily lies down, listening to the ambient sounds. The surreal tableau lingers as a prelude to what comes next.