migcoyula

"We are the Strange" is a work of sheer originality, a rare gem in the microcinema movement, not only because of its technical audacity but also the complete freedom attained in it's narrative. The two main characters are a young girl with big blue eyes (visually reminiscent of anime) who escapes her pimp and a sad and scared little boy. More about the story I won't describe because words won't do justice.

It happens inside a video game.

This is very important. From the stylistical choices to the apparent lack of narrative, "We are the Strange" will most likely appeal to those born after 1970. There are direct references to multiple things, most notable I would describe as hybrid the 8-bit era of video gaming, stop motion, anime and 3D with a David Lynch logic. The end result is unlike anything I've seen. It's at times silly, beautiful, depressing, always imaginative and highly atmospheric. This is sensorial film-making. Yes there is a very simple story, but all that surrounds it, truly make the films. Now when so many independent filmmakers view Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez as their heroes, its is refreshing to see a filmmaker using the digital tools not to emulate formulas and trends created by others, but to experiment all the way and successfully create something new.

Now the music is unlike anything I've heard on film. It usually instruments from 8-bit game consoles. It's a bizarre eerie, feeling.

No doubt we are witnessing a personal film in all respects, a voice that hasn't been modified, muted, toned down to suit a specific kind of audience. It is a scream of the senses, with no attempt whatsoever at logic. You'll be missing the point. You could say that it is style over substance. But what many people fail to acknowledge is that sometimes style itself can be substance.

Annie, an orphan, finds herself in a marriage of necessity and bears the child of a man she doesn't love. She feels trapped by her brutal, animalistic husband, who spends most of the weekdays out getting drunk or in whorehouses. When Annie gets her first taste of respect, love and tenderness from a traveling peddler, things start to complicate even more.

Winner of several awards (four of them at the Microcinema Fest 2004), Tom's Wife is most unusual for a microcinema production: This effective drama is set in 1932, in rural Texas. It's a simple, slowly-paced story that has captured successfully the mood of the period both in the images and the in performances. Annie (Meredith May) soon wins the audience with the fragile innocence concealed in her child-like face, beautifully photographed by Jessica Gallant. The compositions and the soft texture of the image successfully recreate the feel of a bygone time.

Some might argue that the film is slow. But it is a film about the little moments of these people's life: Slow and fascinating if you accept its naturalistic flow. A few elements, however, hamper the overall tone of the film, like the appearance of an almost farcical character towards the end. And Annie's build up to the violent conclusion could have been developed more effectively, and some plot points need tightening.

However, putting those minor flaws aside, Tom's Wife is a wonderful achievement, a solid period drama that deserves to be picked up by a movie cable channel.

Four Stars.

Sometime in the future two people are hiding in an S&M motel: Adrian Torque (Crawford James) should now be dead. He is a renegade cop whose skin was reconstructed out of the sixteen tongues of fellow officers who died next to him in a terrible explosion. He is not a Frankenstein only on the outside, but he is also slowly driven mad by a never-ending stream of tastes. Adrian is not your average cop. The opening scene shows him interrogating a prisoner, then he forces him to perform graphic fellatio on him before blasting his brains against the wall.

Ginny Chin-Chin (Jane Chase) is a female assassin who has a clitoris implanted on her eyebrows; every blink triggers her incontrollable impulses. She stays in a room with her hacker girlfriend (Alice Liu). Their lives are about to collide with Adrian Torque.

Unfortunately Sixteen Tongues falters on the technical side. This movie would have benefited enormously from a more elaborate (not expensive) "mise en scene," simply because of its claustrophobic nature and stylized ideas. After all, this is a film set in the future. I'm not saying that it needed a bigger budget. Sometimes stunning cinematography can disguise a low budget. After an impressive opening credit sequence the visuals lose strength. The lighting is poor, or let's better say non-inexistent, for a big part of the film. The lampshades in the rooms are just not enough to keep the image clear of video noise. Maybe it is the ultimate realistic lighting, but it just doesn't looks good. However, the flickering blue light from the TV in Adrian's room is adequate and atmospheric.

The camera-work is uneven. Sometimes it is imprecise in its framing and sloppy in its movements. I like darkness and/or hand-held shots, but only when it is purposefully intended for a specific reason, with some kind of stylization behind it, to achieve a determinate goal.

The sound mix needs some equalization; mostly the voice-overs are sometimes hard to hear. But the music is pretty effective, adding greatly to the dark cyber-punk atmosphere. The opening and end credits tracks are both pretty good.

The actors all look like they are supposed to. Adrian is tall, tough looking. Virginia is cold and sensual at the same time. Although there are some weak moments, the acting is passable for the most part.

On the other hand, the sets evoke the seedy atmosphere of the location very effectively. The hallways are filled with porn photos. There is some of A Clockwork Orange's resonance in an ice machine shaped as two buttocks, the ice spurting from between them into the glass, and a doll with her legs spread over Adrian's TV. The S&M costumes, special effects, make up, gunshots are pretty well done for microcinema standards. The intricate animated sequences depicting web surfing deserves special mention. The live action scenes should have had this level of elaboration.

The pacing of the film suffers from some well-written, but sometimes extended voice overs. They serve the purpose of providing the background stories for the characters as well as some interesting concepts, but less is more. I would have rather have the film find a low budget, yet effective way of "showing me" rather than "telling me" some of its ideas.

But at the end, the power of this film lies in its ideas, original plot, and characters. If you are able to put the technical flaws aside, it succeeds tremendously in creating a uniquely grotesque world invaded by porn and genetically-altered people. In this world you have to swipe your credit card to be able to shut off the never-ending porn ads on your TV, or to use tap water or to take a shower.

There is a tasty amorality permeating all of the characters. If you think the protagonists are deviant, wait till you meet some of the guests from this motel. Despite what I said about the visuals, there are many memorable images. One comes to mind now: A penis ejaculating blood on a female chest. It left me wondering how life outside the motel in that world would be like.

One feels the script was written without any kind of self-censorship. Scooter McCrae doesn't seem very concerned about being assimilated by Hollywood, as it should be. In that sense, Sixteen Tongues takes full advantage of being a microcinema movie. It is not afraid to shock or disturb you with it's graphic sexuality, violence, and bold ideas.