Moebius (2013)
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Review #1,082 |
THE SCOOP
Director: Kim Ki-duk
Cast: Jo Jae-hyeon, Lee Eun-woo, Seo Young-ju
Plot: A father driven into desire, a son coveting that of his father's, and the sorrowful maternity that hovers them into tragedy.
Genre: Drama
Awards: -
Runtime: 89min
Rating: Not rated.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
Kim Ki-duk’s latest is a movie about
penises. It’s fair to say that he has
gone bonkers, but because he is Kim Ki-duk, we are inclined to read the film
deeper than usual, to afford him with some sort of artistic respect.
Moebius, as it is called, centers
on the relationships among father, mother, son, and father’s mistress. I wouldn’t call them relationships, because
when a mother nonchalantly slices off her son’s genitals in a fit of jealousy
because she couldn’t do so to her husband, it’s not relationships we are
talking about, but a mad woman operating on the level of ultra-sadism.
So a penis is sliced off in the first
ten minutes of the film. And what
transpires for most of Moebius is an
attempt by Kim to comment on desire, lust and the need to be free of worldly
concerns. He shows us a Buddha head, lit
by a torch on a dark street. Perhaps
enlightenment is our only salvation?
But in another scene, a dagger is
hidden underneath a different (or same) Buddha head. Perhaps the road to enlightenment is to slice
off one’s (metaphorical) penis? That is
a disturbing thought, but seemingly sane or even logical in Kim’s ridiculously
perverse world.
Half of the time you may be wondering
if Kim is trying to achieve something transcendental through perversity, but
the other half you will be left trying to ask: why am I watching this? And yes, you may be compelled to complete it
despite the disturbing content. It can
be compelling if you allow it to, if you see it as a (very) dark comedy, if you
realize that the entire film has no dialogue.
Moebius tells its story through
visuals and acting. It is a silent film
in some way, but it is the silence of the characters despite the horrific
nature of their circumstance that is off-putting. Uncomfortable to watch and too phallocentric
to be regarded as art, Kim’s Moebius takes
all the psychoanalytic tropes (of castration, machosadism, Oedipus complex,
scopophilia etc.) and fashions his own depraved understanding of pain and
pleasure in our world.
We may not come out of Moebius reasonably enlightened, but
despite being the provocateur’s weakest work in many, many years, you just
might be curious enough to give it a go.
But remember, curiosity killed the cat.
Verdict: Kim Ki-duk’s ridiculously perverse film will
put off most viewers, and is one of his weakest works in many, many years.
GRADE: C- (5.5/10 or 2.5 stars)
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