Spontaneous human combustion is a mysterious phenomenon where the human body is reported to burn from the inside out, destroying the torso completely while the extremities are usually untouched.  The surroundings are never touched by the fire and typically the ignition source isn’t evident.  The victims don’t cry for help and witnesses to the phenomenon have reported no sounds or signs of struggle. ’Spontaneous Human Combustion’ was made by Russo, which included the study of literature and scientific experiments.  The film is made in a documentary format and it explores the phenomenon through dramatized interviews with actors playing the parts of firemen, scientists and victims’ relatives, and through forensic and scientific evidence.  The realism of the documentary format is blurred by the use of poetic language and dream and fantasy sequences.  The film asks the viewer to see ’Spontaneous Human Combustion’ as a metaphor for the excess emotional energy that can accumulate in the artist or lover, which in turn may lead to self-destruction.

Science         Body         Experimental Documentary         Literature         Destruction