A contemplative examination of a sublime yet threatening natural beauty, Chasing Shakespeare’s title sequence soars as a tonal overture to the film. The camera whisps through blades of grass with all the tranquility of a dream and incipient raindrops splatter the lens, looking skyward at dark clouds promising more. The typography integrates subtly, lending the credits an organic quality. Suddenly, lightning interrupts this stormy dream, the title comes into view, and there it is: the horse, galloping through the void. It stirs at the far-off thunder.

 

Eric Kaye’s sparse piano notes punctuate the sounds of the approaching storm, creating a soundscape that is more felt than heard. The dream is at once peaceful and foreboding, with a wordless poeticism akin to the works of Malick.