I’ve been asked by the creator of this post to weigh in here, so here goes…
Ignatiy and I have abstained from addressing Visitor Q in our “Decade with Takashi Miike” series because of the film’s notoriety. Miike has been misperceived as a Japanese Shock director for too long, when in fact many of his films (particularly Young Thugs: Nostalgia, Zebraman, the aforementioned Bird People) are quite moving. I tend to regard Miike’s more outre films as the sport of a hard-working man letting off steam. It’s worth noting here that Visitor Q was but one of seven movies he directed in 2001!
That said, I find the film entertaining, if a tad sophomoric. I’m touched by Miike’s obvious affection for the characters, which makes a lot of the shock value more palatable. The movie never feels like an assault on the audience so much as friends trying to gross each other out. In this regard, the US work it reminds me of most is Pink Flamingos—another great movie to bring out at parties, midnight screenings, and drug dens.
Director’s Cup – Film Analysis: Visitor Q (2001) by Takashi Miike almost 2 years ago
I’ve been asked by the creator of this post to weigh in here, so here goes…
Ignatiy and I have abstained from addressing Visitor Q in our “Decade with Takashi Miike” series because of the film’s notoriety. Miike has been misperceived as a Japanese Shock director for too long, when in fact many of his films (particularly Young Thugs: Nostalgia, Zebraman, the aforementioned Bird People) are quite moving. I tend to regard Miike’s more outre films as the sport of a hard-working man letting off steam. It’s worth noting here that Visitor Q was but one of seven movies he directed in 2001!
That said, I find the film entertaining, if a tad sophomoric. I’m touched by Miike’s obvious affection for the characters, which makes a lot of the shock value more palatable. The movie never feels like an assault on the audience so much as friends trying to gross each other out. In this regard, the US work it reminds me of most is Pink Flamingos—another great movie to bring out at parties, midnight screenings, and drug dens.
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