Liquid Sky

"Liquid Sky" (1982 - 114 minutes), film written, produced and directed by the Russian director Slava Tsukerman, can be considered a classic underground cinema full of fantastic realism. Liquid Sky means "heroin" in the New York slang of that time. This is a scientific fiction movie whose scene is the world of the fashion and the heavy drugs in Manhattan.

The plot seems comic but the result is surprising: a flying saucer lands on the penthouse's roof of a famous model called Margareth [the actress Anne Carlisle, who also interprets the androgynous model Jimmy]. A very small alien creature hidden in a spaceship of the size and format of a little signature TV antenna, captures the energies of the place, earning force through a substance produced in the human brain at the moment of orgasm. So, the extraterrestrial exterminates one by one, the partners of the model. These events are followed by a German astrophysicist that also researches Ufology. The film presents a savage sense of humor and an elaborated visual technique through blown up colors, fluorescent makeup, melting forms, many neon and ultraviolet lights.

I could watch this film again and again for the fabulous retro costumes alone. It is a low-budget sci-fi about aliens in a miniature flying saucers that home in on a chemical released in the brain during orgasm which is akin to heroin. There's very little aliens-action, but lots of psychedelic photography, a cunning rhythm that sucks you into the world of Warhol-like druggies, freelove-devotees, artists, fashion designers, experimental musicians, OTT models, and bisexuals. Liquid Sky is a gem (and also contains perhaps the most realistic lesbian sex scene I've ever seen!) S*d the make-up unless is at least as wild as Ziggy Stardust, leave your gender attitude at the door, embrace existence as rocket-fuelled experience, and tune in to Liquid Sky.

Liquid Sky!!

Wow, tough to say a simple few words about this movie. Liquid Sky is a rare film as it documents a time period in the USA when "post-punk" and "New Wave" were truly still underground. Liquid Sky is so easily compartmentalized into gay/lesbian cinema or a "cult classic" when it truly stands alone as a document of an era criminally under represented.

Roger Ebert who in my opinion really understands good cinema, gave this movie strong local press support in Chicago when it played at the Three Penny art Theatre in Chicago. The 3 Penny was across the street from the original Wax Trax record store on Lincoln Avenue which was another "power spot' of this post-punk/early new wave underground in Chicago. Ebert gave this movie a thumbs up and I think 3.5 stars upon the initial release. Ebert understands "dark" cinema which I think few see.

There are few movies in all of cinema that leave you with a "feeling" that Liquid Sky does at the end. By taking you correctly, intelligently into a world (Underground Clubs, Drug Scenes) that do exist, that few see. Donnie Darko is to me "in the ballpark" of the way Liquid Sky makes you feel at film's end.

The musical score (using the then very rare and expensive) Synclavier sampling keyboard was way ahead of it's time by perhaps 20 years. That along with the strong performances, is what makes Liquid Sky not just "weird' or "freak cinema" but something actually special.

If you were part of the New Wave or Post-Punk "underground" of 1981-1983 you will nod your head to what I am about to say: Liquid Sky is just about the ONLY movie that captures the "feel" of this period.

The rare Anne Carlisle! She-popped in with this magical tour-de-force performance and then basically disappeared from cinema. The only other easily obtainable performance of Carlisle is in the Miami Vice episode "Yankee Dollar" where she appears in the last 10 minutes of the episode as the wealthy heiress trying to save her husbands company via an illegal deal.

The DVD review! Wow!! The fact that some people really cared about this movie is seen in the DVD extras. The fact that just the movie made it to an official DVD is enough , but the extras where a huge shock. Actual beta video footage of test run thoughts of scenes. An initial opening 10 minute sequence that was edited to provide a different plot opening to the movie. TV spots, etc..

To use the word "cult classic" then every rare film like this should be treated to such extras on a DVD.

Not for "kids" , but I give Liquid sky a solid 10 out of 10 on the IMDb scale!

While some may see this movie as weird, the movie actually displays a real "truth" of what that scene was like 1981-1983 (minus the aliens of course). Watch Carlisle's monologue while putting on the make-up in the last 15 minutes of the film. You will not find a more "honest" speech about what happens when a girl moves from the country to depths of the inner city underground scene.

Love it or hate it (I lean more towards the former than latter), but don't miss experiencing the seriously bent 'Liquid Sky'! I haven't in all my movie watching years seen anything quite like this one before. Simultaneously campy trash, and an arty, pretentious science fiction movie. You can never tell whether we are dealing with an eccentric film maker with a vision ala Meyer, Franco or Steckler, or some kind of self conscious attempt at an instant Cult Classic ala Troma. 'Liquid Sky' vacillates between the goofy punk put ons of 'Repo Man' and being a 'Psych-Out' for the New Wave crowd. Shoe string psychedelia with miniature alien junkies, gender bending, and a synth score which sounds like Mark Mothersbaugh having a fit, this surely must be Nina Hagen's favourite movie!

This one actually seems to have been made by and for aliens. Its view of humanity appears to be that of an onlooker from another world, dispassionately observing us. That's what makes it so different from the usual space alien movie.

Like it or not, you must admit that it's original. There is simply nothing else like it. Perhaps the closest thing is Repo Man. But Liquid Sky is even stranger than that.

This movie lays bare much of the pretense and affectation of our society, particularly those of the shallow, pseudo-intellectual crowd. The lack of any truly likable characters may turn off a lot of viewers, but to me it simply reflects the kind of people being depicted here.

From our perspective, twenty years on, it takes on a still different aspect. Here was life before AIDS, before 9/11 (including a shot of the World Trade Center), and before tattoos and body piercing became fashionable.

Forget ET and MIB. If you want to see a real alien movie, check this one out.