Moebius (2014)

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Wow! What a jolt of caffeine was this! I guarantee you that you will see quite a few scenes in 'Moebius' that you will not see anywhere else. Boy, are these Korean filmmakers getting daring.I'll try my best not to lay any spoilers in this brief review because that would ruin the joy of discovery for you. Suffice it to say, Hollywood or Bollywood would never touch a script like this with a ten foot pole. As a matter of fact, I didn't know what I was getting into when I acquired this film. I figured, well, it's Korean horror so I should probably prepare myself.I'm glad I saw this film; it really made my day. It is a must see because of its originality. I'm not going to say what makes it so unique, but you can tell from the high ratings it's received on IMDb that it's worth the price of admission.

To get the name of the film out of the way the following is offered, though it doesn't seem to relate to the film: 'Moebius syndrome is a rare birth defect caused by the absence or underdevelopment of the 6th and 7th cranial nerves, which control eye movements and facial expression. Many of the other cranial nerves may also be affected, including the 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th. The first symptom, present at birth, is an inability to suck. Other symptoms can include: feeding, swallowing, and choking problems; excessive drooling; crossed eyes; lack of facial expression; inability to smile; eye sensitivity; motor delays; high or cleft palate; hearing problems and speech difficulties. Children with Moebius syndrome are unable to move their eyes back and forth. Decreased numbers of muscle fibers have been reported. Deformities of the tongue, jaw, and limbs, such as clubfoot and missing or webbed fingers, may also occur. As children get older, lack of facial expression and inability to smile become the dominant visible symptoms. Approximately 30 to 40 percent of children with Moebius syndrome have some degree of autism.' Alternatively, Moebius refers to a continuous one-sided surface that can be formed from a rectangular strip by rotating one end 180° and attaching it to the other end. Take your pick.But on to the film. This is a film that will find its audience - there is so much of this sort of morbid, weird derring-do on routine movies and television that it should not really shock anyone. But the film is different. It is without spoken word and therefore relies solely on the body language and wordless reaction from the cast. Yes the story is bizarre - a married man with a son man has an affair with a young woman, the wife flips over the top and decides to destroy the husband's offending organ - an act that is aborted and the mother instead transfers her uncontrollable madness on her son, castrating him. The family naturally disintegrates, the father commiserates with the injured and disturbed son and the mother re- enters the family picture with an even more sick behavior.The three cast members are convincing - a factor that somehow makes the film work. Yes, it is a disturbing repugnant movie but some people with a thirst for the dark in life will likely purchase the film to see repeatedly. For the faint of heart, avoid.

When I saw 'In the Realm of the Senses' in the otherwise respectable BFI, the scene - you know the one - where a hardboiled egg is lovingly inserted into a vagina and then eaten didn't half make me feel a bit awkward, particularly when sat in a near-full screening. The fact that a man's penis were later cut off only added to this - in the film, of course, not the BFI.Many film reviews will describe films as 'this' or 'that' and how it will be an emotional journey, that will make you 'this,' 'that' and 'throw up.' But actually, do we ever experience these things when watching films in public spaces? I don't, but then I'm a cynical bastard. Kim Ki-duk's latest offering - controversial as ever - is a film, however, that actually does stir a bit of emotion in the audience. There may not be any hardboiled eggs involved, but there is certainly some of the other.To summarise the plot line would be to give a huge spoiler alert, and to detract from the impact of the film when watching, so I won't bother - and not just because I'm lazy. But essentially, this is a film about a modern family in a similar vein to Kurosawa Kiyoshi's 'Tokyo Sonata' or Miike Takashi's 'Visitor Q'. With all of Kim's films, there has to be a layer of controversy and possible religious undertones. There's less on the religious here, and much more on the controversy. Banned in Korea initially, the film comes with notoriety on its sleeve. But all that nonsense aside, 'Moebius' is an interesting and creative film. There is no dialogue in the whole film, bar the occasional screams of anguish, and as such the film is constantly in a state of flux to push the story along, as opposed to being a string of long, languid, art house shots. The pace is frenetic and comes across as a constant stream of consciousness. Kim doesn't leave you too much time to reflect on anything you've seen as things have already moved on. In a film without dialogue this works well to tell the story, showing (almost) everything and explaining nothing. This also shines a light of comedy among the darkness for the viewer, as the constant changes create a sense of disbelief at what you may, or may not, have just seen. I watched this feeling, at times, quite uncomfortable, but surprisingly not at the scenes I may have thought - Oshima obviously desensitised me to certain things. I never thought the typing of 'orgasm without a penis' into Google would leave me quite so weak at the knees. 'Moebius' certainly isn't an easy viewing, with a 'silent' film provoking the audience to spurt out words in reaction. 'Oh, he's not...'Kim's films may be varied in quality, but they are always thought provoking and definitely create talking points, ironically so for 'Moebius'. His films will never be the best you have seen, though they will certainly stick in the mind. Thankfully, there's enough good about this film to alleviate the controversy and make some decent enough thoughts stay in your mind, if not uncomfortable ones under your skin.

And I thought Pietà was appalling! But the 19th film by director Kim Ki-duk really brings on screen something that reaffirms his reputation as one of world cinema's highly controversial directors. One of the most uncomfortably hilarious films I've to sit through, Moebius tells the story of a destructive family in which the husband is having an extra-marital affair, the wife is jealous plus angry & their son who ends up paying the price for his father's acts.Written & directed by Kim Ki-duk who really has a weirdly disturbing sense of humour, the film has no dialogues throughout its runtime & even music is absent except for the final moments. There is a lot of hilarity in the film but it comes with a price that not everyone will be willing to pay. The story begins on an extreme note but never really settles down for a bit & it'll have you go WTF every few minutes.On an overall scale, Moebius presents its notorious director going way too far with the subject matter than he did in his last feature & although as pretentious it may be, it really won't be easy to get it out of your head once you've seen it. Infused with Buddhist symbolisms that completely went over my head, Moebius is an extremely scarring cinematic experience that'll find you laughing while your eyes bleed.Watch it at your own risk & remember what you're going in for. You've been warned.