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Title: Mécanix
Also known as:
N/A
Year: 2003
Genre: Animation / Surrealism / Fantasy / Art House
Language: French
Runtime: 70 min
Director: Rémy M. Larochelle
Writer: Mélissa Hébert & Remy M. Larochelle
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427580/
Plot:
This fairytale, set in a post-apocalyptic mechanic world, tells the tale of the last freeborn man that lives as a slave to skeletal creatures. The creatures rule the world and the last man has to obey. The only hope for the human race is something only known as "the embryo"; something that exists in the last man. The embryo is the origin of everything, the only way to rid the power of these nightmarish beasts.
Our thoughts:
Those canadian/french people have done it again.. Pierre-Luc Vaillancourt of Cinéma Abattoir (who I also have to thank for sending this DVD to me) amazed me with his film in the "L'Èrotisme" DVD, and now we have the makers of this film. They've all managed to make some of the most independent films that I know of. Pierre-Luc's "Extase de Chair Brisée" was a surrealistic and beautiful take on the exploitation genre, and now Rémy M. Larochelle brings us one of the most original takes on a post-apocalyptic world in this fantastic stop-motion animation movie.
It's story might be a bit hard to catch at first glance if you haven't read anything about the movie, but it's actually a bit more simple than the movie would lead you to believe. The world is ruled by mechanical beasts, often in the forms of animal cadavers and other creepy shapes and forms. Human race as we know it is gone, and only one human being is still alive. Inside of this man lies an embryo; the only thing that can save his race from extinction. The embryo is the only hope this man has. Meanwhile a human scientist controlled by the beasts is set out to stop the embryo from spreading. For such a visually complex movie, the plot is very simple, but there is alot more to the film than the main plot. It's clear that the story has alot more going on, deeper things, and many things that every person would most likely end up with their own interpretation of the movie. Personally it gave me thoughts of God, the creation of all, "Adam & Eve" and things around that, but like I said, next person might have entirely different thoughts.
With a movie like this it's fine if what's going on is a bit repetitive because you're hooked on the visuals, and just as much on the deeper meanings that you're trying to find in the movie. I will need to watch the movie a couple of times more just to figure out what I get out of this film, but no matter how many times I end up watching the movie, the visuals is what strikes me the most. To explain the look and feel of the movie further; Imagine if Jan Svankmajer, Shinya Tsukamoto and David Lynch met up and started working on a stop-motion movie together. If you still don't understand; you can pause the film at any second, and the picture that's frozen on the screen could just as well be a painting by itself, that's how stunning every second of the film is.
The creatures in this movie are like I said earlier often animal cadavers. Animal cadavers that are put together with steel wire, but we also have a few clay creatures, and my personal favorite is a weird hairy monster. I have to admit that the creatures are actually quite creepy, and had I only seen this 10 years earlier I'd have nightmares about them. This was something that really got to me about the movie, that it managed to have such incredible puppets/creatures. And with the help from amazing sound effects and a solid soundtrack, this little dark film really came to life.
It's definitely a movie that anyone who likes Jan Svankmajer, Quay Brothers, Justin Curfman, Shinya Tsukamoto, David Lynch, Alejandro Jodorowsky or just any surrealistic film should check out. I wouldn't go as far as call it the best stop-motion film I've seen, but it's definitely high on my top of most beautiful films. That alone makes this film something that every man should see. And maybe, just maybe, you'll find your own meaning to the film.
Positive things:
- Beautiful.
- Fantastic sound effects and soundtrack.
- Creepy creatures.
- Obviously deeper than the basic plot.
Negative things:
- Gets a little bit repeative but in all honestly, this doesn't hurt a film like this. But that's the only thing I could ever imagine someone would complain about.
Rating:
Gore: 0.5/5
Nudity: 0.5/5
Story: 3/5
Effects: 4/5
Comedy: 0/5
We bought this movie from:
N/A
Reviewed by:
Ronny
More pictures from the film and other reviews can be found here:
http://metapher.fatcow.com/filmbizar...ew=mecanix.php