Visitor Q
Plot: A family is very seriously depraved. The father, a washed up television reporter, has sex with his prostitute daughter. The mother shoots up heroin to numb the pain from being beaten by her son, who is picked on at school, and uses some sort of Dennis Hopper-in-Blue Velvet gas mask. A visitor comes who hits the father on the head with a rock, teaches the mother how to milk herself, de-emasculates the father emotionally, and makes things better-- kind of.
Takashi Miike's film is quite an odd one, and for reasons other than the lactation, incest, and necrophilia scenes, though those alone do make it the ideal family film (as in, you'll get some peace and quiet because your family will be afraid of ever speaking to you again). No, what makes Visitor Q so odd is that it seems to be satirizing a variety of societal conventions, as well as encouraging some.
Take, for instance, the family that the movie presents. They are unbelievably fucked up. They are all unhappy. Then, the title character comes in, and seems to make everyone happy by having them all work together-- but doing horrible things. There is one scene with the father and mother that is hilarious, because it is a heartwarming scene where the parents do something together to help their child-- but what they are doing, I won't say. Scenes like this seem to simultaneously condemn and encourage traditional family structure. The film is actually kind of uplifting, if viewed from a certain perspective. Viewed from another (which you probably will) it's sickeningly disturbing.
Miike is also mocking reality television. The movie is all filmed in a style that is intentionally uncinematic. Many of the moments seem like they could come from an episode of "True Life." The behavior on display in this film, and the style it is filmed in, made me question my own watching of shows such as that. The film itself makes the viewer feel incredibly voyeuristic. The fact that it invites laughter (or maybe that was just for me... I initially watched it with a few friends who did not find it quite as funny) is either a tribute to the skills of the people involved or a sad comment on how our society has been pervaded by television that makes things very impersonal and distant. The answer probably lies somewhere in between.
I highly recommend Visitor Q. While it can be watched simply for shock value, there is definitely a lot of commentary on society in it.
Takashi Miike's film is quite an odd one, and for reasons other than the lactation, incest, and necrophilia scenes, though those alone do make it the ideal family film (as in, you'll get some peace and quiet because your family will be afraid of ever speaking to you again). No, what makes Visitor Q so odd is that it seems to be satirizing a variety of societal conventions, as well as encouraging some.
Take, for instance, the family that the movie presents. They are unbelievably fucked up. They are all unhappy. Then, the title character comes in, and seems to make everyone happy by having them all work together-- but doing horrible things. There is one scene with the father and mother that is hilarious, because it is a heartwarming scene where the parents do something together to help their child-- but what they are doing, I won't say. Scenes like this seem to simultaneously condemn and encourage traditional family structure. The film is actually kind of uplifting, if viewed from a certain perspective. Viewed from another (which you probably will) it's sickeningly disturbing.
Miike is also mocking reality television. The movie is all filmed in a style that is intentionally uncinematic. Many of the moments seem like they could come from an episode of "True Life." The behavior on display in this film, and the style it is filmed in, made me question my own watching of shows such as that. The film itself makes the viewer feel incredibly voyeuristic. The fact that it invites laughter (or maybe that was just for me... I initially watched it with a few friends who did not find it quite as funny) is either a tribute to the skills of the people involved or a sad comment on how our society has been pervaded by television that makes things very impersonal and distant. The answer probably lies somewhere in between.
I highly recommend Visitor Q. While it can be watched simply for shock value, there is definitely a lot of commentary on society in it.
