Argon Green

2012, 90 minutes

Second film in the Bitter/Sweet Trilogy. Written by author, lecturer and Diabetes sufferer Tom Craig, each film uses a horror narrative in conjunction with an art cinema aesthetic to explore a different facet of Type I Diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy, a condition in which the capillaries that nourish the retina become damaged and eventually haemorrhage, is the most common cause of blindness in the world today. Although incurable, its progress may be slowed down through a process known as Panretinal Photocoagulation. During this treatment the sufferer has their pupil dilated and a special lens placed into the eye to keep it open. An Ophthalmologist fires an Argon Green laser at the retina in a series of intense bursts, creating up to two thousand individual burns within the eye in an attempt to reduce the retina’s demand for oxygen. Following treatment, patients may be left with blind spots, reduced peripheral vision, a reduction in colour definition and, in some cases, permanent loss of sight. For acclaimed artist and Diabetes sufferer Daniel Corrigan, the end of his career is clearly signalled when successive treatments for Diabetic retinopathy begin to rob his world of both colour and depth. Believing that it is only a matter of time before his sight is permanently lost, Daniel throws himself into his work in a desperate attempt to create his final masterpiece. As Daniel retreats further and further into his own private world, his wife realises that drastic action must be taken to save both her husband, and perhaps herself, from madness. In a last ditch attempt to help the man she love s, Daniel’s wife arranges to take her husband and daughter away to Cold Mile House: a remote, ramshackle stately home that has recently be purchased by Daniel’s agent. For a while, at least, the plan works and the family joyfully occupy themselves with exploring the brooding gothic countryside and discovering the many secrets of their temporary abode. Daniel, however, becomes increasingly haunted by the beauty of the landscape around him; aware that soon it will exist as nothing more than a memory. At the same time, his wife is haunted by a presence that is far more supernatural in design. As both characters start to slip in to the darkest recesses of the human mind, it is left to their daughter to teach them both about the real beauty and value of life.

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