A 6+ minutes short that eventually became a feature (as is the case with many of Khavn's works) “Kommander Kulas” is another film of his that seems to defy every cinematic convention.
The narrative begins in repetitive fashion, with sequences of a man who is probably Kommander Kulas, riding his water buffalo in the jungle, at a leisure pace, while a soft voice narrates repeatedly that he had a restless night, in which he dreamt he was a giant cockroach. As soon as the narration ends, a number of grotesque, to the point of being blasphemous shots appear, including a nun with a butchering knife, a dead, naked woman and an almost completely naked man who only wears stockings and a bra. As Kulas reaches an urban setting, the narration changes after and reveals that the Kommander has lost his heart and is in search for it, with the camera following his path in various locations. Before the finale that takes place by a river, a number of pianos appear on screen on various urban settings as the narrator begins talking about death and the futility of Kulas's search.
The combination of visuals and narrative result in something that could be described as Jodorowsky's version of Don Quixote, although the mininalism of the short deems the narration the main source of this element. Albert Banzon's camera implements mostly long-shots in the presentation of the Kommander, in a tactic that allows a sense of mystery to surround the character, since his face is barely visible, but also for the natural beauties of the setting to be highlighted. The presence of pianos, on the other hand, gives a surrealistic note to the story, while the aforementioned extreme sequences add a gothic element, particularly through the presentation of various religious motifs and symbols. Lawrence S. Ang's occasionally abrupt cuts towards these images induce the movie with a sense of shock, in an otherwise relatively slow pace.
Lastly, a comment about death being the only definite end of every path presents Khavn's comment in the film, although in rather abstract fashion.
