Gozu

Rating:
Summary: Gozu.
Review: Takashi Miike's Gozu is anything but a normal cinematic experience. To put it into words that you may or may not understand, think of films by David Lynch and David Cronenburg. Gozu is just that -- surreal, intangible, grotesque, and unconventional.

If that is something you enjoy, then you may want to check Gozu out. On the other hand, if you want a film that gives you an accessible storyline I suggest you look elsewhere. Gozu is not a movie that can be fully understood. It is all left open to interpretation, like Lynch's films, because it denies reality in favor of subtly and downright outrageousness. You will not believe what you are seeing on screen, which is the very reason why this movie is not for the average Joe. For many people, they will just not understand what makes this movie great. It is not understanding it, but going on a journey through a bizarre world with bizarre characters that makes it worthwhile. There has never been more beauty in getting lost in your own dreams and nightmares, fears and fantasies, and so on. Too many movies are black and white. They want to give you a linear storyline that is easy to digest. This is the type of movie where you can always discover something new within it each time you watch it again. Or a movie where you can sit around with your friends and discuss the meaning behind it. In other words, this movie has no meaning, but you can attach your own personal meaning to it (like Lynch's movies) that is neither right nor wrong. Not many movies are daring enough to do this, but Gozu is one of them, and if you enjoy that type of movie then check it out.

Takashi Miike is well known for making "shocking" movies. Gozu is no exception. In Gozu's case, he creates shocking, visceral scenes that completely deny palpability. Gozu will either shock you, make you laugh out loud, or bore you. Personally, I did not find this movie shocking. It is not any worse than Ichi the Killer, which did not shock me either. Instead, it made me laugh out loud because it was obviously a black comedy. But, that is besides the point. Some of the more shocking scenes in this movie are quite funny, too. I don't know, maybe it is just me. I do not find Miike's movies shocking. Gozu is only disturbing because it is hard to understand. It is a subjective experience that completely twists our banal world into a grotesque nightmare. If you are expecting shoot outs, violence, and gore this is not the movie.

Gozu places an emphasis on aesthetic beauty and brutality. There is scenery in this film of the rural side of Japan that is breathtaking. The town where most of the movie takes place is also quite nice. It looks like a common town in Japan. I do not know for sure, since I have never been to Japan, but I am quite positive that this town is supposed to look like an any-town-Japan. Gozu takes place in a very mundane and ordinary setting. The point is that there are bizarre happenings existing underneath the surface of this town.

Anyway, Gozu is a "Yakuza Horror" film. The film mostly follows the story of a man who is searching for his brother in a bizarre town. While he is in this town, he meets some "very" bizarre characters. These people are definitely not normal small town folk. I would go on with my plot description, but it is quite pointless indeed. Gozu is a movie that you just have to see for yourself. It is no Audition or Ichi the Killer; Gozu stands alone as being something different for Takashi Miike, and the movie is a breath of fresh air for the Japanese Yakuza genre. See it.