Rubber's Lover

Rubber's lover is Fukui's second movie, a prequel to Pinnochio 964. The plot (from what I can gather from reading other reviews and summaries of the movie off the internet as well as my visual interpretation of the movie since I don't speak Japanese and my copy isn't subtitled) concerns a group of scientists working to unleash the psychic potential of human beings. For some reason this involves injecting them repeatedly with a drug dispensed by a huge cannonlike needle, and then strapping a device to their heads similar to a VR helmet. The company they work for decides the project is a loss and sends a secretary to tell them the news of the project's shutdown. The poor scientists react rather badly to the news, and in a desperate attempt to make a final breakthrough, subject one of their own ranks to the drug and device. He responds well so they put him in an isolating rubber suit that deprives him of all sensory input but that which is governed by the experiment. The results are succesful and much mayhem ensues. Thus begins Rubber's Lover.

Shot in black and white, primarily in one location, this is a perfect example of low or no budget but high concept film making. A feeling of isolation permeates thoughout, perfectly controlled by the director's choice of angles and locations. The outdated technology the scientists are using isolates the movie from any specific date in time. The character's reactions to the events happening around them only amplify the feeling of isolation. The effects are gruesome, the editing is kinetic, the story is bizarre. Fans of Tetsuo: The Iron Man will love it as both can easily be compared at the most shallow levels. It is, however, an amazing film that stands on it's own strange island in cyberspace, far removed from Tsukamoto's film. Highly recommended, not for the squeamish.

Really I can appreciate an artistic movie, especially if its Japanese but it still needs to serve a clear purpose or point all in order for me to fully appreciate and enjoy.

And no, "Rubber's Lover" doesn't really seem to have a clear point about what it is trying to do or say. It's like a psychedelic trip, that isn't even necessarily surreal. It doesn't really feature a clear storyline in it and I won't pretend as if I understood everything about this movie. Honestly, more than half of the time I had no idea what I was watching and what was going on all.

But this is OK really. I can also like and enjoy a movie for other reasons, when it's trying to be more of an artistic one. And from an artistic viewpoint this movie does definitely has its qualities. But still I can only take so much of it. Turning this into an 90 minutes just probably wasn't a very good idea, since the movie is just not an easy one to watch and follow. I'm sure I would had really liked this movie so much better if it got done as an 30 minutes short.

But still I didn't regret watching this movie and it wasn't an horrible waste of time or anything like that. It still was a nice visual experience to have to go through. I'm actually fond of modern movies shot in black & white, like this movie was. The movie does feature some nice looking and interesting moments in it, which makes it obvious that director Shozin Fukui felt at ease with the material and really knew what he was doing. I only wish I could understand as well though.

Obviously not a movie for just everyone.

6/10

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This does for corporate research science what 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' does for inbred hillbillies. It is a film about psychic warfare that makes David Cronenberg's 'Scanners' seem ineffectual. Tho I don't like Rubber's Lover as much as Fukui's other feature, '964 Pinocchio,' it is certainly remarkable. What makes this film chilling to the bone is not the strange technology depicted or the spooky black & white cinematography or the creepy narrative ambiguities, tho this all adds. It is the screaming, hysterical, overblown performances by the actors which really gives the impression of terrible violence. Tho there is a decent amount of physical splatter in this film, the real gore is psychological. Try this film. you'll feel like a rhesus monkey in a head trauma experiment, and you'll like it!

Much of this movie has the feel of a Tsukamoto (Tetsuo,Vital,A Snake of June) film, but the differences in story and plot have great distinctions. To save time and for the sake of your interest I will not re-summarize the film, but tell you what to expect. This film is almost as vivid and has as many common traits as Tetsuo, though with a different theme. For all of my friends, the sheer amount of screaming was unbearable, but it really is necessary. Effects weren't flashy, but they suited well. Acting was fantastic (only a real actor will wear one of those rubber suits). Overall, a great movie that will certainly make you perceive many things in a new way from now on, which I think is a goal that more films should strive to achieve. Not for the faint of heart, so watch at your own risk. If you enjoyed Rubber, you may like 964 Pinocchio, also by Shozin Fukui.

This is another one in a long line of typical Japanese black-and-white film-student-project-gone-wrong pretentious wannabe-deep-but-it's-not pseudo-surrealistic piece of crap masquerading as "disturbing horror." A never-ending bout of morons screaming for no reason and just "freaking out" is what you are in for with this film.

Of course, any movie like this will attract countless reviews speaking of how "briliant" the director is, how "disturbing" the film's "message" was (bwhahaha!) and a long string of steamy nuggets of self-delusional insight, but what it comes down to is this: low budget black and white boring inanity with lots of stupid screaming that will bore you to the verge of tears.

If you're looking for an actual movie with plot that will entertain you, this is not it.