q & ichi

Takaski Miike...although these are two totally separate films, I really feel that I've got to make a comment on transgressive fiction as parlayed into film.

Transgress: 1) to violate a command or law, 2) to go beyond a boundary or limit.

When we talk about transgressive fiction or art, we're talking about characters and actions that push the boundaries of what we deem as normal in our society. Depending on your bent, you might see Weeds as transgressive, which I consider only mildly. I enjoy stories about people rebelling against the norm, knowing that they do not need to fall in line with the man, although it can reach pretty far and go to really dark places. This is where I think some of Miike's work falls. Granted, he's terribly prolific, he's even done kids films, but in regards to the following, he really pushes the limit. It begs to question whether he's pushing the boundary because he can, whether he's being shocking just because he can, if he's creating art in the sense of making the audience feel uncomfortable or just putting it out there because no one else is.

What makes Transgressive art/film/literature interesting and thrilling to me can be qualified by our friend, Kevin Smith via Seth Rogen in Zack and Miri: "...but I always wish I had and that's what porno is! It's fantasy, it's taking the normal and making it abnormal by fucking it!" (oh, that poor little dog.) Horrible actions, addictions, afflictions, while alone may be unspeakable, when put into a different environment, tied together by a narrative with tongue in cheek, witty dialogue with a comedic bent, voila, you've got something that you can't help but howl at, roll on the floor laughter. You may feel wicked for laughing, but you can't help it. Sometimes things are so ridiculous, there's nothing left to do but laugh at it's wrongness. It's about the sum of the parts.

no. 119 Visitor Q

The film starts out by asking, "Have you ever done it with your Dad?" WHOA. There is very little dialogue to accompany what can only be described as disturbing images that certainly made me feel uncomfortable, which mind you, is a feat in and of itself. We're asked questions then visually shown that scenario, although, while we are going through these steps, we have no idea that these people will inhabit the same home, as a unit, I wouldn't really call a family, but a family none the less. Are these acts meant to shock? In the end, what made this gel and ultimately work for me was the addition of a cohesive narrative and dialogue. If not, this could have just been a string of videos someone recorded on their phones and uploaded to YouTube. By the time we've hit the bathrooms scene, I'm laughing my ass off. The string of seeming random (although with each piece you put the people and actions together) and mostly horrific acts become an image, much like the mother's puzzle, you're able to appreciate, and I use that word sparingly, what Miike has tried to accomplish.

If the film was placed in the shoes of a bored Japanese housewife who started turning tricks to pay for her junk habit which allows her to cope with the physical abuse brought on by her son...and her party trick was lactation, it would be hysterical.

no.120 Ichi the Killer

I was a little fearful that this might be too over the edge and spark what can be an overactive mind. No way, I laughed my ass off throughout the entire film. Violent? Hell yeah. Gory? Well, we see the carnage of the aftermath, but the "violent" actions we see are so campy, it's hardly scary or unsettling. The Yakusa theme tied all the nonsense together.

The real transgression is not in the violent acts, the pleasure found in pain, but in the exploitation of Ichi. He is so scarred and his mind is easily twisted and literally washed out to believe that the bullying he received as a kid was tangled in rape which leads to his utter repulsion and confused sexual repression. It's sad how he's made to believe his actions are tied to vengeance toward the bullies who tortured him, the super hero outfit, while he's being used as a dull object to bluntly (well, sharply) act as a tool to wipe out part of the syndicate.

I nearly pissed myself over the tongue scene; his offering was completely repulsive and scared the shit out of everyone. One who could mutilate himself must be feared. Kakihara is a great character...

I'm going to have to pick up the manga series, although, I have a feeling I won't find it at the Camp Hill library :)