Fantasia Festival: Volume 3

by Ari

Funky Forest: The First Contact is maybe the most obnoxious, bizarre, and confounding experience I’ve ever had from a Japanese film.  If there’s something director Katsuhito Ishii can be applauded for, it’s his unhinged, unafraid, completely singular vision, and how he exuberantly presents the most disjointed and jarring sensibilities on film.  What’s unfortunate about his newest film is that it’s a de-evolution from the mesmerizing work on his masterpiece, The Taste of Tea.  Everything he gained as a director and storyteller is reduced to derogatory outlandishness that serves nothing but his obscene interests.  This is the polar opposite of the intelligent tenderness and sophistication of his previous film, an unwarranted reversal of everything he has ever accomplished.  Quite frankly, Funky Forest is completely asinine.

It’s also maybe the most difficult film to explain. There is no story.  No dramatic or thematic arc. Nothing that remotely resembles a cohesive narrative. So what is it?  I guess a series of warped vignettes highly reminiscent of a desperate, almost Vaudevillian amusement is the best way to describe what Ishii does with Funky Forest.  If anything, it seems to be about musical rhythm.  The film is a cacophonous amalgam of musical and audio synchronization - a loud, abrasive, and relentless assault of noise; whether it’s a sound effect, a song, or the many irritating conversations that express a whole lot of nothing.

The film is split into two sections, separated by a friendly intermission.  Seriously, a title-card appears with a two-minute countdown, and you have to wait until it reaches the final seconds for the movie to continue.  For a moment, it reminded of the similar sequence in Band of Outsiders, when the characters silently watch each other for a whole minute.  Then is just grated my nerves.  The entire film is spent with ridiculous moments of either blathering idiocy or repulsive grotesqueries.  Key sequences involve a couple discussing the possibilities of an alien abduction, an alien talk show in a ship that resembles an egg, a young girl demonstrating mind-control during a cosmic battle of some inexplicable sort, and the great Todanabu Asano playing his guitar like a lunatic in hopes of impressing women.  Profound material, indeed.

The first half is concluded with a dream sequence in which a man dances with an anime character to throbbing techno music.  The second half delves into revolting circumstances I have no patience to properly describe.  Let’s just say I was more than displeased with what I was being subjected to.

Katsuhito Ishii is a talented filmmaker, but Funky Forest is nothing but a spastic set of bizarre ideas that exist for the sole purpose of being bizarre.

Azumi II is the under-whelming and dull sequel to one of the most infectiously entertaining ninja adventures of the new pop-wave of Japanese filmmaking.  The first Azumi is a burst of energy by a director capable of successfully filming over-the-top chaos.  It’s the sort of absurdity that inspires a smile, especially during it’s many skillfully crafted, blood-soaked battles.  Anyone satisfied by Kill Bill: Volume 1’s gory conclusion will be right at home with the original film.  Azumi II, however, is anything but the entertainment of its predecessor.  This is a painfully slow and empty sequel that does absolutely nothing to illuminate the characters or develope the story.  I guess Hollywood isn’t the only place where you can find excessive and pointless continuations of movies that have no business becoming a franchise.

My Scary Girl is another enjoyable, yet completely nonsensical romantic comedy from Korea.  The story centers on a shy, romantically inept college professor in search of warmth and companionship, and how he finds it with a young woman who moves into his apartment complex.  Little does he know that this seemingly innocent and intelligent young sweet-heart is a murderer.  I’m sure you can figure out just how much hilarity ensues, and exactly when it ceases being amusing and becomes aggravating.  Like most romantic comedies, it starts off well and funny, then eventually loses itself to incomprehensible scenarios and the sudden need to be serious and touching.  While the amusement lasts, My Scary Girl is sufficiently entertaining, helped by a charming, often times hilarious performance by lead actor Yong-woo Park.

The Art of Fighting is a surprisingly good comedy/drama about a constantly tormented young boy who seeks the guidance of a dangerous old man in order to protect himself from the people who pick on him. Imagine a Korean version of The Karate Kid with a bit more violence and seriousness.  The film strikes an odd mixture of emotional tones, shifting from dramatic edge to playful comedic antics within moments. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether you’re supposed to laugh or take it seriously, especially since the lead young actor is so easy to sympathize with.  That being said, the film clearly belongs to the commanding performance of actor Baek Yoon-Sik (The President’s Last Bang) as the tough, but compassionate teacher, Oh.

His character is the type of larger-than-life hero that embodies strength and power along with charm and mischievousness.  Exactly what every memorable figure of wisdom should be.  In particular the ones that take pleasure in cracking bones, knocking people unconscious, and sticking broken chopsticks into people’s eyes.  Now that’s a role model!  The Art of Fighting is a much better experience than one might expect, a moving and well-made coming of age drama that all ages can enjoy.