Rubber's Lover

Fukui Shozin's previous film, '964 Pinocchio,' was a terrific, wild ride. Low-budget but full of high energy and earnest hard work, it was better than I could have hoped in its blend of cyberpunk science fiction and horror. With the promise of a like-minded underground production, a kindred premise of dangerous unsanctioned experimentation and madness, and plentiful blood, gore, and effects, I had high expectations of 1996 follow-up 'Rubber's lover' - and I've not been disappointed. Actually, to some degree I think it's a step up as Fukui has honed his skills in the intervening few years; there's no mistaking that this is broadly kith and kin with the previous effort, but it demonstrates certain artistic sensibilities that makes it all the more enticing. I think this is fantastic!

The choice to film in black and white confers a sense of style upon the proceedings while definitely making the gnarly violence and imagery herein all the more stark, ugly, and impactful. And in every regard there's a lot here for our eyes to feast upon. Marvelously smart use of lighting and bold emphasis of shadow make all the more fetching the simple but effective production design design, art direction, props, and costume design clearly assembled with shrewd creativity from whatever Fukui and his collaborators could cobble together; Fukui's striking shot composition, visualizing all the superb details in this filming space in a fashion that makes them feel disproportionately more grandiose and alien; the violence, vivid practical effects, and special makeup, perhaps relatively sparing but indisputably jarring and rich; and even the acting, which is uniformly spirited, committed, and downright vibrant. It's a small cast on hand, but between Nao, Saito Sosuke, Kawase Yota, Kunihiro Mika, and the scant few others involved, all are so good that one doesn't stand out above the others - all the more important since the intensity of the performances do just as much heavy lifting as the effects, if not more so, to bring the twisted tableau to bear.

In fact, the latter verbiage applies to not just the acting, but the cinematography, and the editing. Through Fukui's direction and his vision every element has a part to play in realizing the darkly entertaining saga, all being roundly active, dynamic, and thoughtfully employed. This is to say nothing of the robust sound design by which all audio rings out loud and clear, and not least the phenomenal original music of Tetora Tanizaki. Sound effects bleed into the score and vice versa, weaving a versatile, mesmerizing tapestry of soundscapes varying from whimsical to sinister, clamorous industrial beats, and other themes that are more melodic but no less haunting. There's no doubt in my mind that Tetora's contribution counts among the top highlights in this picture - so outstanding that as to be the sort of music I'd want to add to my personal collection - but for as brilliant as most every odd and end is, distinguishing between the respective quality of this and that seems kind of silly. It's worth noting that all these aspects are arguably much more integral to the viewing experience than the writing. Fukui's screenplay provides the foundation, yes, but the acting, the music, every facet of the visuals, and the underlying craftsmanship are all intoxicating, and the story is but a vehicle for these. All things considered, I could scarcely be happier with what the filmmaker put together.

I'll grant that the storytelling is surely the one place where the feature is less sure-footed. The narrative is generally amorphous and comparatively light in terms of material, and the tone and pacing vary; in the last act the proceedings become far more abstruse and fanciful, breaking from the more straightforward tack adopted in the first two-thirds. This isn't an especially severe criticism and in some manner it's in keeping with the nature of the movie at large, but it's the one place in these ninety minutes that may be a stumbling point for some viewers. And still, even at that, the flick is so imaginative, and so capably executed, that the distinction doesn't seem all that significant; the runtime speeds by all too quickly. There's no denying the skill and intelligence that went into 'Rubber's lover,' and for as peculiar or downright nasty as it might get, it's deeply absorbing and highly satisfying from start to finish. This is a title for those who are receptive to all the wide, wacky possibilities of genre fare, but if you're ready to engage with whatever comes your way, 'Rubber's lover' is a fabulously enjoyable, tantalizing film, and I'm pleased to give it my very high recommendation.

This does for corporate research science what 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' does for inbred hillbillies. It is a film about psychic warfare that makes David Cronenberg's 'Scanners' seem ineffectual. Tho I don't like Rubber's Lover as much as Fukui's other feature, '964 Pinocchio,' it is certainly remarkable. What makes this film chilling to the bone is not the strange technology depicted or the spooky black & white cinematography or the creepy narrative ambiguities, tho this all adds. It is the screaming, hysterical, overblown performances by the actors which really gives the impression of terrible violence. Tho there is a decent amount of physical splatter in this film, the real gore is psychological. Try this film. you'll feel like a rhesus monkey in a head trauma experiment, and you'll like it!

Scientists use a brain-altering drug to conduct experiments, after one such project goes astray, they need to find another test subject in this Japanese splatter-punk film. On it's surface Rubber's Lover can be compared to Tetsuo: the Iron Man (shot in black and white, weird, kinetic, and machine driven), but it's different enough to stand on it's own merits, even if it's not nearly as good as the aforementioned film. Good for a viewing or two, but it's not one of the films that you'll return to over and over again. Still for an obviously low-budget film it IS entertaining.

My Grade: C+

DVD Extras: "Gerorisuto" short film; Interview with Shozin Fukui; Photo gallery; Theatrical Trailer; Trailers for "Electric Dragon 80000V", and "Junk"

Really I can appreciate an artistic movie, especially if its Japanese but it still needs to serve a clear purpose or point all in order for me to fully appreciate and enjoy.

And no, "Rubber's Lover" doesn't really seem to have a clear point about what it is trying to do or say. It's like a psychedelic trip, that isn't even necessarily surreal. It doesn't really feature a clear storyline in it and I won't pretend as if I understood everything about this movie. Honestly, more than half of the time I had no idea what I was watching and what was going on all.

But this is OK really. I can also like and enjoy a movie for other reasons, when it's trying to be more of an artistic one. And from an artistic viewpoint this movie does definitely has its qualities. But still I can only take so much of it. Turning this into an 90 minutes just probably wasn't a very good idea, since the movie is just not an easy one to watch and follow. I'm sure I would had really liked this movie so much better if it got done as an 30 minutes short.

But still I didn't regret watching this movie and it wasn't an horrible waste of time or anything like that. It still was a nice visual experience to have to go through. I'm actually fond of modern movies shot in black & white, like this movie was. The movie does feature some nice looking and interesting moments in it, which makes it obvious that director Shozin Fukui felt at ease with the material and really knew what he was doing. I only wish I could understand as well though.

Obviously not a movie for just everyone.

6/10

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Much of this movie has the feel of a Tsukamoto (Tetsuo,Vital,A Snake of June) film, but the differences in story and plot have great distinctions. To save time and for the sake of your interest I will not re-summarize the film, but tell you what to expect. This film is almost as vivid and has as many common traits as Tetsuo, though with a different theme. For all of my friends, the sheer amount of screaming was unbearable, but it really is necessary. Effects weren't flashy, but they suited well. Acting was fantastic (only a real actor will wear one of those rubber suits). Overall, a great movie that will certainly make you perceive many things in a new way from now on, which I think is a goal that more films should strive to achieve. Not for the faint of heart, so watch at your own risk. If you enjoyed Rubber, you may like 964 Pinocchio, also by Shozin Fukui.