Funky Forest: The First Contact

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Myself

Technically I started watching this with 5 people but one by one they all dropped out. It's a bit of an endurance test. Completely absurd in the way that only the Japanese can be, a very specific kind of humor and excruciatingly slow paced. It's a series of vignettes that are edited together almost like watching a televisions series season on dvd in one sitting complete with pauses for ad breaks and a 3 minute intermission in the middle. As is usually the case with such endeavours, it's very hit and miss. A lot of the scenes feel pointless, some are slow and poetic, some are like a hip indie film, some are downright bizarre and there are many I find very funny.

This is one of the few films that I think would benefit from a broken up viewing, something I generally despise. Its episodic nature combined with major pacing issues and an excessive running time make it a perfect candidate.

I've seen a few of Katsuhito Ishii's other films and have a soft spot for this kind of humor so I think I may have liked this more with a better idea of what to expect, judging by the way people dropped out of this one like flies. It's a very flawed film but there are segments that a just pure insane genius.

A very uneven film. Words cannot describe it but fortunately most of my favourite segments are on youtube if you do a quick search. Seek it out if you also love the completely bizarre absurdist humor and feel up to the challenge of making it through the long dull stretches.