MOVIE REVIEW [SCREENER] . Id

by Chris   ⋅   May 24, 2007   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

Directed by Kei Fujiwara (Organ), Id is a an avant-garde exploration of the darker corners of the human psyche, of rage, madness, lust, envy, and general sin, told against the backdrop of a slaughterhouse for swine. As the title (and pedigree) would suggest, it is a film of instinctual rather than logical connectives; its narrative relying heavily on visual metaphor to convey mood and feeling.

The main plotline, if you can call it that, concerns a mysterious man known as “the Master of Murder” who, having fallen down “id” well, awakes to find himself in an incredibly small town, working at an even smaller steel factory. Bordering the factory is a pig farm, whose operating family constitues the film’s band of freaks: a madman father and his giant sons (one a cross-dressing “school-girl”). The factory workers are no better, a band of wimps and gimps who are constantly intimidated by the freak family. In the middle of the town is a giant spigot that controls the flow of an underground river – which in turn supplies “id” well. A character in and of itself, the well serves to mirror the human interactions, spewing forth all sorts of blood and bile as the animosity, violence, and eventual murders, ramp up. Further layering the proceedings is an eerie narration by an old woman (Kei Fujiwara herself) about buddha, beasts, human fallibility, and the remote possibility for redemption of the human soul.

Like Organ before it, Id is a film of arty nihilism, depicting man as beast - no better than the creatures over which he claims command – a tormented creature destined for damnation, while suffering a living Hell. You’ll pick up on this in the first ten to fifteen minutes, only to have it explained at length to you via character meditations toward the end of the film. If you’re going for modern art esoteric, why bother to explain yourself away at the end? By abandoning the abstract Fujiwara frees the audience to suspect just how little thought has been put into her message. That said, the film’s final frames suggest a sense of hope, subtly altering the tone of the previous proceedings, and possibly evidencing Fujiwara’s own philosophy is a little more reserved.

Keeping with the tone of the narrative, Id has a gritty, unpolished look and feel. Although made in 2005, the picture looks at least 10 years old, possibly filmed on tape and the masters left in the sun. Camerawork is fairly direct, but the framing is just off kilter enough to make the visual interesting. Effects are of a cheap but effective nature, involving quite a bit of karo and synthetic flesh disruptions (think Tetsuo: The Iron Man, on which Fujiwara served as costume designer). To complement the gore Fujiwara also employs a mix of surrealist imagery, particularly surrounding male genitalia (coiled springs for the unfeeling flesh, roses for the enamored — perhaps to further a feminist angle on the despicable nature of man?). Lastly, the set-design rivals that of Ishii’s Blind Beast vs. Killer Dwarf in its use of cellophane and found items. It may not sound like much to the uninitiated, but in concert they make for a mix of humorous and rather disquieting imagery.

However, despite the intriguing visuals and buckets of blood on screen, the viewing experience is rather antiseptic; the death and destruction on display at best requests a passive, clinical observation rather than inducing a shock. Not helping the matter is the fact that the performances are of the spasmodial performance art found in Begotten, Pinnochio 968, and assorted Tsukamoto fare. I’m sure there are some that absolutely swear by the methodology, but for the un-intoxicated it serves only to further distance and annoy.

I have no doubt there are layers to be explored in Id, and were I younger, less heavily tasked, and still pursuing a film degree, I might lose myself to solving its enigma. As it is now, however, Id is interesting and intriguing, but not quite what I would call enjoyable.

SF Bay Area Residents: Id will be screening at SFIndie’s Another Hole in the Head festival, June 4th, 7th and 14th, 2007

About the Author

Chris Nelson has been a film fanatic since age six. A former film and English major, he is now a Software Engineer and contract Technical Writer living in the Silicon Valley.

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