Fando e Lis

The bizarre films of counterculture icon Alejandro Jodorowsky are, without any doubt, some of the most unique cinematic experiences one can have, and, in my humble opinion, also some of the greatest. Eleven years after debuting with the great, but relatively harmless short "La Cravate" (aka. "The Transposed Heads") of 1957, Jodorowsky made his feature length debut in 1968 with this incredibly surreal, fascinating and often disturbing gem called "Fando y Lis". It is never possible to fully understand a Jodorowsky film and its 'meaning' by 100 per cent, even after multiple viewings. Even so (or therefore), there is nothing more fascinating than the cinematic World of Jodorowsky.

The adaptation of a play by Fernando Arrabal, with whom Jodorowsky had worked on stage before, "Fando y Lis" is just as surreal as the master's more famous films to follow, "El Topo" and "The Holy Mountain". This is also doubtlessly Jodorowsky's most pessimistic film and, at the time of its release, it was scandalous due to its disturbing, uncompromising and bizarre nature. When it premiered in Mexico, "Fando y Lis" caused such outrage that riots broke out, and Jodorowsky had to escape the theater secretly in order to avoid getting seriously hurt or even lynched by protesters. The film was subsequently banned by the Mexican government.

The film, which is divided into four acts, follows Fando (Sergio Kleiner) and his crippled girlfriend Lis (Diana Mariscal), who drift through post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of a mythical city named Tar. In search for Tar, a sort of paradise that has survived a 'final war' that has left the world in ruins, Fando y Lis encounter a variety of bizarre people and situations. On their journey, which is always surreal, and gradually gets disturbing, Fando becomes more and more abusive towards his innocent, helpless girlfriend... This is only a very vague description of the film, however it is hardly possible to give a proper one. As Jodorowsky' other films, "Fando y Lis" simply is a film that has to be seen. It is no wonder that this was highly controversial when it came out, and it is still disturbing today. Scenes which broach the issue of child abuse were arguably the most controversial ones, but the film includes all other sorts of controversial topics, including violence in relationships, humiliation and exploitation of the poor, cross-dressing, incest, etc., as well as the Jodorowsky-typical religious/iconoclastic symbolism. These were, of course, explosive issues for narrow-minded so-called 'moralists' at the time, and it is therefor no wonder that the film was controversial. Jodorowsky also gives his personal, very bizarre vision of the living dead in this film, which was released shortly before G.A. Romero's milestone "Night of the Living Dead". The film is often disturbing, yet is fascinating on so many other levels, sometimes beautiful and even funny, and always very, very weird (in an ingenious manner).

I cannot claim that this is a proper description of "Fando y Lis", but, as said, there is probably no such thing as a proper description of a Jodorowsky film. Jodorowsky's films are probably not accessible to everybody, and to many "Fando Y Lis" is probably even his least accessible film. This is maybe the Jodorowsky film, which is most strictly a film for Jodorowsky-fans. It may not quite as continuously overwhelming as his masterpieces "El Topo" (1970), "The Holy Mountain" (1973) and "Santa Sangre" (1989), but it certainly is a fascinating experience that is unique and awe-inspiring. To those unfamiliar with Jodorowsky's cinema, I recommend to begin your journey into this great man's cinematic world with "El Topo" or "The Holy Mountain", or even with "Santa Sangre", which is probably his most accessible film to lovers of a more conventional kind of cinema. Those who loved the previously mentioned films should definitely see this one. To lovers of surreal art-house cinema, and to my fellow Jodorowsky-fans in particular, "Fando y Lis" is an absolute must see!

The sad fact is that nobody makes movies like this anymore. Surrealism is dead and has been replaced by so-called "reality-based TV". Seeing FANDO & LIS over thirty years later, one realizes the power Jodorowsky has to teach a new generation how it's done - for the pendulum is sure to swing back in surrealism's favor any day now. Listen to the audio commentary and learn how to use symbolism effectively. Nobody does it better. The scene in the graveyard alone is a classic. As for shock value, this was the UN CHIEN ANDALOU (1928 by Luis Bunuel & Savador Dali) of it's day. Yes, like its predecessor, FANDO Y LIS caused riots when first screened and it's easy to see why. Audiences are still being challenged by it. This is the first "midnight movie" made before the term was even coined. There is only one way to describe it: a brilliantly shocking masterpiece.

Jodorowsky's first film has recently been released on DVD with director's commentary and documentary, and it is looking beautiful for a 'lost' low-budget film. A frequently disjointed film, although to be honest not as much as El Topo, Jodorowsky's adaption of a bizarre stage production (filmed from memory with a one-page outline script) creates some of his most affecting images despite the low-budget. The narrative, which may seem annoying for those unaccustomed to Jodorowsky's work, actually develops in quite a mature and artistic manner; Jodorowsky shows a great understanding of his art despite the fact this was his first feature. But, as Jodorowsky himself says about this film, it is a pure work of art - i.e. a film created without any thought going into what the audience will think about it, he was filming from the heart. So it does drag in places and the pacing prevents any but the most arty of us to be excited by it. But if you liked El Topo (etc.), give it a go.

Fando and Lis depart in search of the magic City of Tar, which will probably offer a cure to Lis' legs in order to make her walk again, aside from granting eternal happiness to both of them. The Search: An early thematic goal to the director's later midnight classics El Topo and The Holy Mountain. Scandalous, and too sacrilegious for the audience at the Acapulco Film Festival, the film was subsequently dropped by the distributor in 1968. Fando and Lis remained obscure for over 30 years.

Alejandro Jodorowsky's long-lost feature debut film is uneven, but it's obvious that a raw energy and a torrent of imaginative ideas went into the making. Shot on weekends with a minuscule budget, casting friends and family, Fando and Lis plays like a cross of the later Fellini circus with the brutality of an early Buñuel film.

Structured as a road movie of sorts, our protagonists have bizarre encounters with an array of unpredictable characters. Many would call it violent, but there is a certain childlike quality in the staging: A burning piano is knocked over again and again in reverse motion; Mud bathers rise (a la Night of The Living Dead) at the base of a mountain; A knife perforates a little doll's crotch, and snakes are introduced in the crack. I could go on describing the stream of images that stuck with me, but you get the point: Watch the movie.

Trying to explain its meaning is beyond the point, as Jodorowsky himself stated: "I'm more attracted to what I don't understand." The symbolism ranges from light social satire to striking, brutal imagery. Same goes for the B&W cinematography, which alternates from bland hand-held "backyard style" to breathtakingly executed shots (see the wonderfully choreographed spiral movement when Fando abandons Lis in a pit, running up the hill in circles in the background while Lis laments in the foreground).

Yet Jodorowsky seems more invested at times in the power of his ideas than in their proper screen execution. The action is sometimes clunky and/or hampered by questionable editing choices. This inconsistency doesn't seem like a deliberate effect, since many sequences are conventionally but effectively cut. However, the use of music is quite expressive as well as many sound design choices.

Fando and Lis is not a perfect film, but "perfection" is an absurd term given the nature of the material. In any case, suffice to say that this feature debut resonates far more deeply than the sober, functional exercises that Hollywood chunks out every year, not to mention the "art-house mainstream" that permeates most of the Cannes Film Festival highlights of late.

Jodorowsky's work is often closer to performance art than it is to film, if we take film as an expression of consistent atmosphere and cinematic flow, illustrating ideas at the fully extent of the medium. The auteur expresses that as a filmmaker; he doesn't care whether the audience is bored or angry, he says a film should be made with your guts, without following any rules of cinematic grammar. The result is sometimes inconsistent but never disappointing.

In a world plagued by artistic concessions, Jodorowsky emerges as an artist with an unique voice, capable of delivering unforgettable images. His work is always refreshing and inspiring.

The film itself barely has any narrative and many of the film's mysteries will not be revealed until the viewer watches the commentary by the director (referring to the DVD version). Nevertheless, the film is an excellent example of the abstract art cinema. Everything in the film is a symbol, the film plays itself out in symbols and imagery, it is an example of a pure attempt to tell a story without holding the audiences hand in any way. This is international art cinema at it's best, and of course I understand that not everyone will enjoy this film, fortunately this genre does not require the audience to follow along. If you put your heart into watching the film and later watch the commentary to wash away the confusion, I promise, you'll be happy you did so.