Steak

Quentin Dupieux is a writer and director known for his very unique sense of humor, which can be best described as comedy of absurd and surreal situations that appear to be rather real and sincere as far as the acting and overall tone is concerned. Of course this specific sense of humor is not for everyone, but if you like his other more famous movies like Rubber or Wrong, you will probably like this one as well.

As a fan of Dupieux' work (having watched all of his other movies) I was very excited to watch his first feature film Steak, which appearently can only be watched in French with English subtitles to this day. Since my French is not that good I hesitated first, but my curiostiy was much stronger and I didn't regret it.

The movie starts rather slowly and humor-wise rather untypical for Dupieux. During the first 15 minutes I felt a little disappointed, since the focus is more on goofy slap-stick-humor instead of surreal dialogues. But after those initial 15 Minutes the movie gains back its Dupieux-esque qualities that made me love his other work. Unfortunately, this type of humor usually only knocks my socks off if I hear the dialogues in my native language, since they lose much of their surreal sincerity and authenticity in a foreign language. However, just imagining how the dialogues might sound and feel in my native language made me die laughing.

The ideas and situations are just as good and well written as in his other movies, yet his other movies are much better crafted, especially the sound-design and cinematography. The story is, like in other Dupieux-movies, not a stroke of genius but it serves as a good framework for the dialogues to fit in and slowly lead the viewer somewhere.

All in all, I can recommend this movie to anyone who likes absurd experimental comedy (like Dupieux' other work) and who has no problem watching this in French with English subtitles, risking that some gags might not be as funny as in your native language.

It's full of different analysable layers. It creates a new world with new rules and norms out of our unjust world, which is again supe chaotic and unjust!

In this new world, empathy has no place! Even the mother figure play a paradoxical role with the least empathy possible.

Did you noticed that George looked like the character of Michel Jackson in thriller?

Have you noticed how beautifully the director made the past as future and the future the past? The things you do as a child becomes cool as you grow and the 60's style that comes with it? The whole esthetics of the movie looks like old thriller movies with the slow zoom-in in regular situations like something bad is going to happen? I can say it was funny but maybe more for those who like clown acting. At the end it left me with a feeling of: that was weird but I liked it and It felt like I was watching a really long music video clip really well made:)

This is beyond satire and far into an alternate reality where caricature is an existential esthetic, where plasticity stretches actual truth to the point of a laughing death. The acting here is pristine and drowning in situationism. "Steak" kicked my yarbles into orbit.

It's surreal. It's bizarre. It's darkly funny. It's got a killer soundtrack. The wardrobe is memorable. The choreography with the handshake - spot on. Cinematography is on point and absolutely gorgeous. That shot at the start where the police take him away? That sunset? Amazing. The performances - perfect level of mostly serious humorous. Comedy that's not forced or in your face. It's like the comedy equivalent of an avalanche. Starts small. Takes forever to build. Will probably suffocate an entire town in snow.

And the soundtrack - it slaps. It's so dang good. Each track is fun and different and great.

This movie is just the best - that being said, it's most certainly not for everyone.