*bumps the Miike thread that has
substance*
...
So I finally saw
Gozu.
And, honestly, the more I see of Miike the more I am so incredibly impressed with his work (which I know that I've said before).
I thought that Gozu was incredible - Just as in his other works, Miike is a master of atmosphere. I thought that Gozu focused on a tone of absurdity, more so than in his other works. I honestly felt as though he took a page from Lynch's book, focusing on the absurd to as a vehicle for a journey. Every scene and every character is unique, eccentric, and absolutely compelling. Actually - that's a great word for it,
compelling. Instead of experimenting with shock value and the weaknesses of man, Miike creates a pure journey into the absurd. Minami plays a tragic "innocent" hero (Miike always asks the question, "What is
innocence really?") questing for his missing brother and stumbling across odd character after odd character.
In some ways, this is my favorite Miike film. It's not pure horror and not pure action. It's compelling and brilliant.
Any thoughts on Gozu? I'd love to hear from others who've seen the film.