Zonas húmedas

I have to admit, I never read the novel this is based on. But I'm guessing the people who don't like the movie at all (which is fine), either haven't read the book or don't like the book. I'm saying this, because what you are getting here, is very close to adult films. Something people in Germany (censors that is), do not have a problem with (the movie is rated 16+).

I can only guess the movie will be NC-17 (if they rate it) in America. There are explicit images of male genitalia, a lot bare breasts (though mostly of our main female lead). With all that said, I went into the movie with the impression I wouldn't like it at all. And maybe it didn't really need all those ... (sometimes disgusting) "shots" (no pun intended) or the language. But the central story about someone looking for love and not being able to connect (because of their weird childhood, to say the least), is strangely appealing ...

I came across this movie randomly as a listing on the web and decided I was going to watch it on Netflix. Considering the fact I have never watched a German movie, I started watching this with the idea that things going on in the movie were normal to Germans. I found that absurd and disgusting.

I'll later come to understand that it is the Director David Wnendt who is a bit sick, not Germany. The film then started to make sense from that perspective. A dark humor, an escape from reality and the social norms of what is approved if you will. It's a coming of age movie about a girl who is somewhat discovering herself and dealing with the divorce of her parents.

The general package is good. Like many European movies I have seen, you sort of feel attached to the characters, like you are there in the movie. The editing, music choice and colors are also warm and in tune with the film.

As stated in the Summary this is not a film for everyone. First off, be prepared if you are going to watch this to see a lot of nudity of both male and females. To me, I did not believe the nudity to be gratuitous, only real to the stories being told in the movie and to real life (we are all naked underneath our clothes, right?).

If you are the type of person that will be able to look past the nudity you may be able to relate, in ways, to the main character in the movie. Yes, much of the movie's comedy is driven by the characters philosophy toward sexual hygiene...or lack thereof. BUT, if you can be truthful to yourself while watching the movie, you may find that at points during the film you are able to relate and commiserate with the main character (sometimes embarrassingly), as she narrates her sexual fetishes seamlessly alongside her narration of the state of her broken family.

This film is not for the faint, or those that have a hard time with bodily fluids... BUT it is for those that want to live freely through an open minded main character.

As society and norms have made people question their sanity, and the "normal-ness" of what they choose to do behind closed doors, it is refreshing, exciting, and comedic to watch a film where the main character is unforgiving, open, and truthful about her sexuality and views toward life and the world.

This is probably the most raunchy picture I've seen all year. Maybe ever. It disgusted me more than, say, The Human Centipede II. No kidding. It might be 'cause I'm gay and have no affinity whatsoever with the female body, its smells, its peculiarities and its specific organic functions. If you think you've seen it all, then I suggest you watch this movie. An atmosphere that'll amuse the punk in every one of us, but nauseate our affinity with common decency. We not only get to hear a lot about intuitively nasty stuff (feces, sperm, urine, sweat, vaginal discharge, snot, anal blood,...), we also see a lot of it. Yes. See. This movie is very visceral. Some might say too visceral. I'm inclined to say the same. On the other hand, I'm just too fascinated with the (sick) way David Wnendt dares to confront us with what we all know and have. Stuff that we usually accept as extremely private and even embarrassing is brought to the center of the stage. While doing this, the movie tells the story of a girl in puberty and her desperate need for attention since her parents don't give her any. This movie transcends its mere shock value to an authentic subversive work that will claim a cult status rather sooner than later. Add some sleazy garage music from Thee Headcoatees, Joan Jett and Peaches and you've got yourself a movie like nothing you've ever seen before!

There is nothing that could concise David Wnendt's Feuchtgebiete aka Wetlands in a single word. Well if one's given the liberty to express what they'd seen or rather witnessed in a plethora of words, it'd most likely be something close to obscene, disgusting, repulsive and most of all shocking. If you've seen its red band previews, you can figure out instantly whether the movie is for you or not. On the other hand if you thought this'd be a usual sex- comedy with some gross factor, believe me when I tell ya what you saw in the preview is nothing compared to the movie. Nothing will prepare you for Wetlands' odd 105 minutes.

Greeted initially with a splendid shot of a skater girl, it quickly goes downhill before you can say "ugh". Wetlands follows the sexual and unhygienic adventures of Helen Memel, a girl who is hellbent on making her life as unhygienic as possible and labeling it as her 'experiments'. Helen played charmingly by Carla Juri, is on an experiment with her own genitals and whatnot as she initially states in the movie. Its kind of a parallel she draws with how she feels for her parents and their divorce. While light at heart, the seemingly damaged 18 year old as Helen may seem it also brings out how bad she needed to be loved.

Beneath the layers of her weird habits and unimaginable sexual fantasies, lies the conflict with herself and an intense yearning for her parents' reconciliation. And Carla Juri does justice to the role. Her performance was inexplicably good, shuffling from cute and sexy to crude and repelling seemed like an easy feat for her. Right from the CG titles, her narration reminded me sorely of David Fincher's Fight Club.

I for one consider myself hardened, watching movies like A Serbian Film, The Human Centipede, Martyrs, Inside, Hostel or even Salo but there were scenes in Wetlands that truly deserved to be called cringe worthy. I wouldn't suggest Wetlands for the faint of heart/stomach or the more perverse either. As evident from the trailers this was marketed as a over the top raunchy comedy but if you overlook all those gross and perverse segments (which is hard I know), there is a sensibly written story about the perils a late- adolescent girl goes though be it physical or emotional. This movie does a decent or rather an indecent job of blending the aversion with a story of someone who aches for some love. I wonder if the same would work had it been a male lead, and of course an immediate reminiscence was Qaushiq Mukherjee's Gandu.