Moebiuseu

And I thought Pietà was appalling! But the 19th film by director Kim Ki-duk really brings on screen something that reaffirms his reputation as one of world cinema's highly controversial directors. One of the most uncomfortably hilarious films I've to sit through, Moebius tells the story of a destructive family in which the husband is having an extra-marital affair, the wife is jealous plus angry & their son who ends up paying the price for his father's acts.

Written & directed by Kim Ki-duk who really has a weirdly disturbing sense of humour, the film has no dialogues throughout its runtime & even music is absent except for the final moments. There is a lot of hilarity in the film but it comes with a price that not everyone will be willing to pay. The story begins on an extreme note but never really settles down for a bit & it'll have you go WTF every few minutes.

On an overall scale, Moebius presents its notorious director going way too far with the subject matter than he did in his last feature & although as pretentious it may be, it really won't be easy to get it out of your head once you've seen it. Infused with Buddhist symbolisms that completely went over my head, Moebius is an extremely scarring cinematic experience that'll find you laughing while your eyes bleed.

Watch it at your own risk & remember what you're going in for. You've been warned.

Enough 1-word descriptors? If not, read below if you're still on the fence about watching this film.

In a by-gone era of silent films, Ki-duk continues to impress by eking out just the right amount of raw emotion from his actors to keep the viewer immersed in the story. He is notorious for this as he continues to make the kind of films he 'wants' and not just fulfill the wishes of the production companies.

This is far from a masterpiece, yet it is still worth watching. Be prepared for something way different than you're used to. In fact, if you're watching a Ki-Duk movie, then I think you're likely ready for the ride you're about to go on... ;)

Most directors become less experimental or transgressive once they've made a name for themselves. Kim Ki-duk is one of the most notable exceptions. Being Korea's most notorious film maker isn't an easy accomplishment in the first place, given that no other country produces so many veritable authors of cinema. But being able to increase the radicality of one's cinematic language while maintaining the same themes is quite a feat indeed.

Kim's Golden Lion-winning previous work 'Pieta' was already almost silent; with 'Moebius' he has not only succeeded in making an entertaining silent film which isn't a reminiscence of a bygone era, but actually managed to push the limits of film as a medium a bit further ahead. The closest film which could compare is 'Themroc', not just because there's no dialog apart from lascivious or painful grunts, but because it almost seems to be a parody of that film's social critique: 'Moebius' quite on the contrary admits to its own silliness.

Many reviewers seem to take the symbols too seriously. The Buddha heads, knifes used for castration and masturbation and of course the body part which is the main plot device (as well as what the title may ironically refer to) - they may all mean something, but they certainly don't have to. There may be tons of allusions to Greek mythology, but it's entirely possible that this is just what you want - or do not want - to read into the film. If these metaphors were any clearer - then this would make 'Moebius' a lot less brilliant. I prefer to think that, as in many of Kim's previous films, it's the effect which is the meaning, and there's not much of a meaning hidden underneath the effect.

Which is why I think of 'Moebius' as one of this year's very few 'must-sees' - unless one suffers from castration anxiety.

On a close look at this film, director Kim Ki Duk cannot be blamed for making a controversial fiction film about the taboo subject of 'Incest'. It is not the depiction of the social evil but the manner in which this topic is handled is strange. In the recent history of South Korean cinema, Moebius might be one of the few films where a South Korean family especially the parents are shown in an extremely bad light. The biggest problem about this film is that it does not have any dialogs. The actors are shown to perform their roles without uttering much. This has given rise to a lot of confusion as viewers might have hard time understanding the real motive of different characters. At a time when most joint families are collapsing due to irresponsible attitude of individual members, Moebius is surreal depiction of the total collapse of a family due to the neglect of the family by the male member. Kim Ki Duk's controversial film "Moebius" got a second lease of life when a ban on its showing in South Korea was lifted. There is hardly anything strange in this development as most of his films have failed to achieve popularity with domestic audiences in South Korea.Moebius is a good link to the chain of controversial films started by directors Bernardo Bertolucci and Louis Malle.

I wanted to write a review so as to somehow share what I just have seen with someone (anyone). Even if it's just my text being passed on to you the apprehensive reader.

As what happens in Moebius, stays in Moebius & I wont be able to share this over the coffee machine at work tomorrow.

I've see some weird movies (swedish, french, Japanese, south American etc etc...). I didn't think I could be made to turn from the screen & put my hands over my eyes anymore. However "Ki-duk Kim" writer/director reached deep into that dark space within his twisted soul and pulled this bad boy up for all to ponder.

So lets get serious! It's not the rape, violence & dark nature of this movie that you haven't seen before. It's the haunting way all it's been put together. The reason why you'll keep watching is as far as art concerned, the director & the actors do a wonderful performance in portraying this darker than twisted narrative. In fact if they didn't perform it so well, you wouldn't be able to watch.

Minus a musical score or any verbal communication, every sound you hear, affects the hairs on the back of your neck. It's not a horror, however you get that cold feeling as your eyes take in it all in.

The movie isn't all gore and shock throughout. There are genuine moments of tenderness when father and son come together, bonding due to the tragedy of it all. Guilt and forgiveness are exchanged within a moments glance and you feel warm as you predict the Hollywood style happy ending. Boy meets girl and again the eyes exchange their words.

I'd like to tell you more, however I struggle to describe the journey ahead without giving it all away.

You'll be adding this to your list. A well told and chair pinning watch. However I won't be watching it again anytime soon. 6.8/10