X Is Y

Richard Kern's X is Y is a slight exercise in all things anarchic and attributable to No Wave, an underground cinematic movement in Lower East Side New York. It's a visual kaleidoscope and an auditory cacophony, as it shows a young woman (Tomoyo) showing off her automatic fire arms set to a soundtrack of thrash metal and repetitive busy-signals from somebody who keeps trying to call the phone number 666-6666. Combine this with Kern's predictably grimy visual style, filled with scuzzy production values and heavy grain, but ostensibly lacking an extractable idea (does this concern female empowerment? The power of guns?) and you have a short that, again, works more on an experimental basis than the basis of being a short film.

Starring: Tomoyo. Directed by: Richard Kern.

Richard Kern was an underground filmmaker who specialised in transgressive themes, and images that are violent and erotic at the same go. Like Kenneth Anger, who seems to have been an influence on him, Kern is less interested in coherent narrative than in presenting themes and images that will provoke us, shock us and ... possibly ... arouse us.

"X is Y" is a very short film, consisting of images of young women handling automatic handguns and rifles. The women's physical appearances and the overall direction are clearly intended to eroticise the firearms whilst emphasising the phallic aspect of the weapons. The film's title is not explained, but it apparently has a genetic basis: X is the female chromosome and Y the male chromosome. Apparently, Kern is suggesting that handguns are 'supposed to be' male objects, yet here are these very sexy and unquestionably female women engaged in the 'male' activities of gun-love and shooting.

"X is Y" features some thrash music by a band with the appropriate name Cop Shoot Cop. Kern shows some genuine directorial talent within his narrow self-appointed genre, and the women in this movie are very delightful to look at. I'll rate this quickie 6 out of 10.

Cool music and decent looking women. Probably Kern's safer films.

Richard Kern is an experimental director, commonly known as part of the transgressive movement. His "X Is Y" is the first movie of his that I've seen. Lasting only a few minutes, it shows young women lying around brandishing guns.

What's the short's overall gist? It's hard to say with experimental movies. It seems like what the movie doesn't have a plot as it's generally understood, then it's up to the viewer to draw conclusions about the gist. Maybe it's saying something about our society's obsession with firearms, but that's only a possibility. In the end, it'll be of interest to anyone into non-Hollywood cinema. Available on YouTube.