Réalité

I first learned of Quentin Dupieux when I saw his 2010 absurdist black comedy "Rubber" (about a tire on a killing spree). Now comes "Réalité" ("Reality" in English), about a director who has to find the ideal groan of pain for a proposed movie. At least that's the main plot. Throughout the movie, reality, fiction and dreams keep overlapping so that you're not sure just what is real. David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" is probably the only other movie that messes with your mind this much.

This movie won't be for everyone. You have to be willing to accept the repeated shift from apparent reality to fiction, often taking place simultaneously. Assuming that you enjoy a movie that deliberately confuses you, you'll like this one. It's not like anything that you've ever seen.

PS: Quentin Dupieux is an electronic musician who goes by Mr. Oizo (a corruption of the French word for bird).

There is genius in this film. If you are bored with much of the formulaic output of Hollywood, but still have a passion for film, this might just be for you. Granted, it's not for everyone. I can only speak for myself. I still have chills from my first viewing. Only after it was over did I understand I had just watched the second film from the man behind Rubber. Glad I didn't even know, as expectations would have been quite high. Having grown up with rented video tapes in the 80's, this speaks to me on an intuitive level, using a language of cues, but remixed with a great deal of finesse and an engaging visual style, which had me grabbing frames here and there for inspiration in my architectural work. While shot with a keen eye for color, depth and composition, the film's strength lies in its mastery of the time domain.

The storyline edits weave jaggedly into each other in a provocative manner and the art house ingredient, psychedelic in its simplicity, works its magic once it has taken hold of you. I see no room for improvement here, it is simply a great work. Where Rubber was a testament to the strength of the storytelling formula, this is the master wielding it just forcefully enough to grab people's attention. I suspect there's a lot more where this came from. As someone who lives with parts of stories, unfinished tracks slaved over in the recording studio, this ode to the behind- the-scenes heroics of unsung heroes was beyond captivating. Like an Ayahuasca trip, it is best described as liberating...like an itch, scratched at last. Bravo!

I saw this film at the Film Fest Ghent 2014, where it was part of the official Competition. Previously, I saw Rubber of the same film maker at the Imagine film festival 2011 in Amsterdam. I wrote a positive review at the time, accepting the fact that I was a minority. Most others could not appreciate the absurd undertone and the almost absent narrative.

Recalling my good memories in favor or Rubber, it may be possible that I had expected more of this successor. Nevertheless, it delivers an absurd story you'd expect from this film maker. Compared with Rubber there are less LOL (laughing out loud) moments, however. Instead, we can enjoy a humorous undertone all along the running time, while contradictions and absurdities come along in abundance.

It is no use to condense the story in a few lines, not even several paragraphs won't do, still without any chance of getting the absurd message(s) across. Brace yourself, and let this movie come over you. It may change your view on film and film making. On the other hand, I sincerely hope that we do not have to take this backstage view on the film industry seriously.

All in all, in spite of (or thanks to) all the controversies this film maker causes, I look forward to more products along the same line. His products are well made, and supported by good actors. That his narratives lack a logical story line, is more like a signature rather than a defect.

I've seen my fair share of confusing films throughout my life. But they're usually confusing in such different ways. I don't think i'd ever seen a film quite like this. It can definitely be enjoyable on a scene-to-scene basis, no doubt, but it can also leave you wondering just what exactly is going on. Does the film amount to anything? I'm not quite sure, but I did enjoy it. It's ded=finitely a very divisive film, one where people will either love or hate (and the reason I don't either is because I do think I'm more open tot his sort of thing. I wouldn't recommend this to all audiences (maybe not even to most) but I do think there is a lot of merit here.

Pun quite intended. If you know the director, you will be aware that the movies he has put out can be called anything - but ordinary. Or predictable for that matter. Having said that, this is especially weird ... with many things not making sense ... well in the real world. On the other hand, what is reality if not fiction? Or something along those lines.

If you are being told certain things, if life itself unravels in front of you ... if you have to look for a special scream ... which is necessary, because otherwise the great movie you think you have ready to be produced ... well will not be made. There is so much to unpack, there are so many things that cancel each other out, there are so many expectations that are willfully not met. There is craziness and then there is this ... tough to rate and/or review. So I can only tell you what you can expect .. sort of. Because nothing can prepare you ... other than having watched his other movies that is.