Kotori tachi no inai hanazono

Japanese anti drug campaign must be the most hard-core around the world. Just when you think it can't get wierder, another director surprises you. I must migrate to japan immediately.

This is known in western countries as "A Garden Without Birds."

Several people go to a hotel room where an S&M mistress and her slave wait. There the mistress offers everyone some pills. Once the pills kick in, things take a gory turn.

This could have been a decent short film. Unfortunately, it never really succeeds in any areas. The special effects are good at times and atrocious at others. The story of which there isn't much is inconsistent. The photography is interesting only sometimes. The acting is also inconsistent. A little more time and care could have improved this film immensely. Feels like it was put together in a rush.

Most of this film is in black and white with a few scenes in color. Doesn't add anything. The gore is the main selling point tho the special effects fail too often or just don't have any impact. Should mention that although the characters are in lingerie or some state of undress there is no real nudity.

At only 20 minutes with credits it isn't the worst to get thru. It is just most is not entertaining in any way. Plus the gore gets boring about halfway through.

Japan is weird, we can all agree on that. but for some people examples like "the grudge" or "ring" are enough to back up this fact. "garden without birds" surely is a much stronger argument, though.

it's hard to spoil this one, really. the plot, if there is such a thing, is rudimental and kept to a minimum. the impressive parts are the imagery and the soundtrack. the use of both b/w and coloured pictures help just a little to figure what exactly is going on. it's rather a cruel psychedelic experience than an actual movie we get offered here, but due to its runtime of 22 minutes, that's perfectly fine. in addition, you will see one or two scenes that surely will leave an impression.

When I thought this was reaching a climax, I checked the time, and I was only halfway through. There were crazier places to go.

Speaking of Climax, that Gaspar Noe film might be the easiest to compare A Garden Without Birds to, since both are horror movies about parties that spiral out of control after people use drugs. But this one was much weirder, and maybe better? Plus it came first.

But I can only say maybe better because I don't know how much of this was supposed to be funny. It was such a heightened anti-drug thing that it read to me like a parody. If not a parody, then it's got to be a horror comedy hybrid. Very messy comedy, and appropriately gruesome horror, but still, it's pretty funny in its own unstable way.

Also, 99% of people would hate this. Not even because it's particularly experimental. But I would bet money that only 1% of the world would get on its wavelength. I feel I might be in that group but don't know for sure. It's just too weird I might be misinterpreting. What are the waves, really, and how long are they?

Still, this kind of confusion is sometimes what cinema's all about.