The storyline and the film begins with a Radio Evening News broadcast, where the reporter is discussing that the National Film Association President Sir Philip Reginald Tangen the 3rd will be investigating newly released 32 films and cartoons for censorship under existing laws, with the possibility they might be banned. The films in question are for young adults and some cartoons. These 32 films, plus an additional 51, have become known as the Video Nasties of the 1980s era. Riots are taking place, especially in East London as youngsters want more freedom and less autocratic government control.
Tangen makes a speech, which is used as a significant theme and thread throughout the film. During this segment we see black and white still shots of Tangen to cement the character into your brain. Said speech, where Tangen promises a better society is contradicted with shots of how society really is; it's not a pretty picture. Political and social moral issues are set in the film as a way to bring social commentary into the horror genre.
This documentary style POV is different, chilling, and ominous. It certainly adds layering and texture to the story arc and the plot.
Electronic sound effects, and religious music, they interplay well together to push the story along. I think we are seeing Guerrilla Metropolitana's brilliance in cinematography and photography, and for this, he should be commended. It is captivating enough to continue being invested in the film, even though some of the visuals are not very palatable. As this style can become somewhat boring, too much telling and not showing, it's the images that tell the story in a unique and compelling way to keep you watching.
This is what horror is to Metropolitana. Images! No matter how truly graphic and extreme they are, is that not what one would expect to see in the realm of extreme gore and horror, mixed with some relatable and relevant social issues? It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. But if you can appreciate the artform it is delivered by; the unique way colour is used, camera angles, subliminal messaging, symbolic visuals such as statues, phallic artwork expressing something dark, and terrifying - then you should like this exploration of filmmaking.
Pay very close attention, it's another one of Metropolitana's blink and you miss feature films. This filmmaker seems to bleed his pain into every scene. Yes, it's graphic, with a complex storyline, and we see some deep meaning buried in subtext in a fantastic and unusual way. With lovely choir music, credited to KingioRecords, What is This Form/ Great Power, overlapping some of the horrendous scenes, I quite like the way they complement each other in a beautifully creepy way. And this helps in the overall result and effect of the film.
Do politics in horror mix? I think it worked in this instance. Are not the real criminals the ones that lead our countries? We see this played out in the News every day. Is this yet another display of the filmmaker pushing the boundaries? The fact it's unique in the sense the way he merges political and social morals with horror, they play out together in a very interesting way. It seems to me that it's filmmakers like Metropolitana that we need in the horror genre to push the envelope, to take horror in other directions to see if it works.
I get the sense this is another one of this filmmakers' experimental films. There is guerrilla filmmaking the entire way through. He broke into areas where he nearly got arrested, just about froze to death in subzero temperatures. How the heck is that for commitment to his vision!
Politics, the middle-class workers being screwed by the government. References from Assange, Prime Minister Thatcher, and President Bush. A bleeding apple is one of the motifs, that tells a gruesome story of the first sin perhaps, or the middle-class worker being shafted by the government. As we have seen in other movies, religion and sex work well within the horror genre, so why not assemble the movie around social issues and politics?
There is a teenage skateboarder who plays a vital role in the movie, and he represents the middle-class. Then we have the censor, who represents the state. We see more images, with bottles of Viagra, fruit as phallic symbols that push the story and plot along. We see by the end of this film, that both characters are destroyed in vicious and horrific ways. It is revealed through another broadcast at the end giving us more of the storyline, which is a great way to artfully deliver the revelations; I think it worked well in this instance.
I recommend this feature film if you are a fan of Guerrilla Metropolitana's work, a horror gore fan, or any filmmaker wanting to see something unique and interesting in the independent filmmaking genre.
