V I D E O D R O M E

David Cronenberg (1983)

Death to Videodrome! Long live the new flesh!” Censorship, body horror, and pirate TV signals; Videodrome is David Cronenberg at his disturbing and controversial best. Released in 1983, Videodrome rides on the moral panic of the time. In the late 70s at the birth of video cassettes, media outlets were growing in concern, as to the potential corrupting and malicious content of said films. Cronenberg, took this idea and ran with it, posing the question; what if videos could not only change our personalities, but also grotesquely alter our bodies? Satirical and strikingly powerful, Videodrome isn't dying anytime soon

T H E H A P P I N E S S O F T H E K A T A K U R I S

Takashi Miike (2001)

Another film by the brilliantly prolific and talented director Takashi Miike, a playful and largely comedic musical this time, The Happiness of the Katakuris is the story of a family living in the outskirts of Mount Fuji attempting to make ends meet with their failing hotel. Employing a breathtaking range of cinema techniques ranging from claymation sequences, karaoke sing-along scenes and nauseating shaky pans this is the kind of film that only a person with a child-like sensibility could dream up. 

R A B B I T S

David Lynch (2002)

A series of short films written and directed by David Lynch. Rabbits is a nonsensical and absurdist sitcom starring a family, dressed in bunny costumes, talking in non-sequiturs, all to the sound of a hollow laugh track. David Lynch. Rabbits. Enough said.

F A N T A S T I C P L A N E T

René Laloux (1973)

This unique French/Czechoslovakia co-production based on the 1957 novel by Stefan Wul tells the story of a technologically advanced race of giant blue humanoids called the Draag, who treat humans as their household pets. Unfortunately for us, we are little more than frivolous playthings, casually disposed of on a whim. Featuring an utterly sublime and psychedelic infused soundtrack by Jazz pianist Alain Goraguer, the music of Fantastic Planet continues to resurface in the samples of modern hip-hop beat makers. Sit down and let this gorgeous film wash over you.

B A D B O Y B U B B Y

Rolf de Heer (1994)

Bad Boy Bubby portrays the life of a man that has spent 35 years living in the same room, under the strict rules of his possessive mother. Every time his mother leaves, he sits at a table quietly playing, under the firm gaze of Jesus. A film about a person's mental illness, whose disturbing and unpredictable behavior is not his fault. Not being able to leave until now for fear of death, he eventually manages to escape where he is thrust into the real world with only his strange behaviour and intuition to accompany him. A confusing and bizarre piece, stranger than some of David Lynch’s finest works.

T H E S E C R E T A D V E N T U R E S O F T O M T H U M B

Dave Borthwick (1993)

A tiny boy the size of a small doll is kidnapped and brought to a genetic laboratory. In an attempt to find a way back to his father, he embarks upon a journey in which he meets a variety of strange creatures and eventually a race of miniature humans similar to himself. Created using stop motion animation, The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb is full of surrealism, horror and mystery.

U N C H I E N A N D A L O U

Luis Buñuel (1929)

Released in 1929, Un Chien Andalou is perhaps one of the most celebrated works of surrealist cinema. Initially conceived, after a meeting between Louis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí, in which the former described a dream of “a cloud slicing the moon in half like a razor blade slicing through the eye.”Dalí replied, that he also had a dream, one concerning a hand crawling with ants. From these two vivid images, the pair were convinced that they had the foundations upon which to create a film, that would explore both the depths of the human subconscious and the peculiar beauty of dreams.  Seemingly tame by modern standards, Un Chien Andalou still remains relevant due to its long-lasting legacy and the scores of creatives it has inspired. For that reason alone, it is essential viewing.

H O L Y M O U N T A I N

Alejandro Jodorowsky (1973)

Imagine a decadent tapestry of religious and iconoclastic imagery, viewed through a child's kaleidoscope and you might come close to understanding the bizarre cult classic by Alexandro Jodorowsky. A stunningly beautiful film that demands repeated viewing, armed with a seemingly endless array of symbols, The Holy Mountain is the kind of film that captures your imagination and refuses to let go. Truly hypnotising and infectious cinema.

C O N S P I R A T O R S O F P L E A S U R E

Jan Svankmajer (1996)

In this almost silent movie we meet a group of weird and lonely fetishists that release their unimaginable carnal pleasures through a series of bizarre rituals. Conspirators of Pleasure is an unusual and erotic Czech film, where we see what people are cabable of doing in order to attain their sexual gratification. Chicken costumes, masturbation and bread balls, everything makes sense in the pleasure universe.

W I C K E R M A N

Robin Hardy (1973)

The Wicker Man is a bizarre British folk film from 1973 directed by Robin Hardy. It centres around the story of Police Sergeant Neil Howie, who travels to an isolated Scottish Island in search of a missing girl. Considered the Citizen Kane of British horror films, The Wicker Man is beautiful, rough around the edges film making, filled to the brim with charm.

N A K E D L U N C H

David Cronenberg (1991)

Cronenberg's take on William Burroughs’novel, Naked Lunch tells the story of an insect exterminator's relationship with chemical addiction, who after an accident involving a pistol escapes into a world of fantasy and paranoia. Described by film critic Roger Ebert as “one of the most unpleasant movies” he has ever seen, whilst also being unable to deny the tremendous artistry and skill required to make such a piece. Naked Lunch remains a polarizing film that will both shock and delight.

T H E W A Y W A R D C L O U D

Tsai Ming-liang (2005)

“If life gives you lemons, make lemonade”is a well known expression in the English language used to teach us the importance of keeping a positive attitude in the face of dire adversity. If such a phrase was to exist in Tsai Ming-Liang's beautifully surreal film, it would go something like: “If life gives you watermelons, have sex with them” Highlighting the absurdity in everyday life and the subsequent beauty that can emerge, The Wayward Cloud stands out from the everyday landscape of cinema like an extravagant flower.

H A U S U

Nobuhiko Obayashi (1977)

From the same production company Toho, that brought the world Godzilla, House is a perplexing “horror” movie that jumps so quickly between tones and genres, it seems like its directors greatest fear is to be labelled as boring. Containing some truly awful but simultaneously astonishing special effects and employing a cast of mostly amateur actors, House is a film that rarely takes itself seriously. In fact, it is this very trait that has probably resulted in its enduring appeal throughout the years.

T O K Y O !

Bong Joon-ho, Leos Carax, Michel Gondry (2008)

An anthology of three movies directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Leos Carax (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf) and Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) Tokyo! presents a sewer dwelling deviant, a hikikomori and a young couple wrapped up in their own peculiar tales. A reflection on the loneliness that can affect us, particular in such a city, Tokyo! interestingly shows the city through the lenses of three wildly different directors. 

L E S E S C A R G O T S

René Laloux (1966)

A film that teaches us that tears are the key ingredient in any substantial farming operation, Les Escargots is a 1966 short surrealist film created by René Laloux. Following a farmer and his efforts to help his crops grow, his unconventional methods result in disastrous results. Similar in tone to the classic Fantastic Planet, this film highlights France as the pioneers in strange animation.

Curated by Marta Espinosa, Aki Kurasaki, SAMO & Vloek