VISITOR Q
PLOT-A disgraced reporter for a television station uses his fucked-up family life for the subject of a news story.
VIOLENCE-A woman is raped, several beatings occur, a microphone is shoved up a guy's ass, three teenage boys are killed, and many people get chopped up into many pieces.
SEX/NUDITY-Full male and female nudity are shown, and there are realistic (but not hardcore) sex scenes with both live women and dead!
WHY I WATCHED IT-You never know what to expect from director Takashi Miike, and that's why I love his work. His film AUDITION is legendary for its creepiness and brutality, yet his previous work HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS was part clay animation and part twisted comedy.
THE DOPE-There's no way you can prepare yourself for a movie like this. One of the things I have always loved about foreign film is that they don't always follow the rules we're used to here in the states. Usually we pick a tone and don't vary too far from it. But overseas, particularly in modern Japanese cinema, the tide can shift in the blink of an eye. You never know what you'll see next! Having said that, VISITOR Q begins with a scene of its central character having sex with his twentysomething daughter, who is a prostitute. He's also filming it. As creepy as it may sound, this scene is pure comedy, and it is funny. Now don't lose me here. This same guy's wife is ALSO a prostitute, who is pimped and beaten nightly by their young son. Unbelievable. This kid gets bullied at school, goes home, and beats up his whore mother while dad sits and eats dinner. Again, it's a comedy. You will be shocked and laughing at the same time! I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and taken in any other context it would've been totally repulsive, but the stuff in VISITOR Q is fantastic. There's a bold statement about life, love, and modern society in there someplace, but I've never been one to dig deep and start analyzing movies. All I know is there's a very matter-of-fact scene of necrophilia happening, and the dead body shits on the guy who's having sex with it. But they make it so funny, you aren't quite repulsed as you should be. This film is a definite winner in my book, for sheer shock value if nothing else.
MEMORABLE SCENES-A woman gleefully sprays milk from her breasts (many times), and I don't think it was a special effect.
NOTES-The expensive DVD release contains some trailers, a text bio of Takashi Miike, and that's it.
(August 2003)