My vote goes to...
Mind Game
WTF?!? Seriously...WTF?!? There are a countless number of times when this euphemism is the only appropriate response while watching Masaaki Yuasa's mind-trip of an animated feature,
Mind Game. Whether reacting to the detailed drawings, the mixed mediums, the fluid animation, the gonzo narrative, or the sheer absurdity of it all, one question constantly springs to mind - WTF?!? But before I get into the juicy meat of this review, please excuse me while I enter...
-//RANT MODE//-
[**rant mode commencing in - 5...4...3...2...1...**]
::[rant]::
WTF?!? So in 2003, an animated feature made in France took the world by storm: Sylvain Chomet's, The Triplets of Belleville. Now, being a pretty big fan of animation, this sounded like something I needed to check out. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was raving about this flick. From major critics to Joe-normal-movie guy, people were eating this movie up like it was the first and last animated movie ever made. It got major media coverage, and it was nominated for an Oscar - pretty dang cool. And, surprise, surprise, the flick was alright, I dug it - it hit the spot and deserved all of its recognition. However, in 2004, an equally artistic, bizarre, beautiful, mature, and dense animated film was made in Japan and the world responded with little more than...
...practically nothing...
...a whispered mention.
No official DVD release outside of Japan (the disc on Amazon is a bootleg)
WTF?!?
Now, if the Japanese producers and filmmakers decided against pursuing interest outside of Japan, then that's cool, but I just don't see this being the case. I think this is yet another case of Bruce Lee Syndrome (BLS), and yet another example of how Asian films are treated in the west (that is unless they are to be remade, thus invoking praise and Oscar attention). BLS goes down like this:
Studio Exec: Okay Mr. Lee. You can act, you can write, you're handsome, you're one of the most charismatic people on the planet, and you can kick all of our butts without breaking a sweat, but you're only good enough to be the side kick, and I think we'll get a white guy to play your part in that television series. Sound good? Good, sign here kid, it's the best you'll ever get.
I see this kind of crap happen all the time. It's the reason why Chang Cheh's and Lau Kar Leung's names are not mentioned along side other great directors of their time. It is the reason why Dimension and Miramax crapped all over Hero and Shaolin Soccer, and edited, retitled and rescored the Jet Li films they released on R1 DVD. It is the reason why there are no big Asian leading actors in western films, and why Asian actresses are often delegated to play the “yellow-fever” love interest. It is the reason why we do what we do - people like us have got to champion these films.
::[/rant]::
-//END ** RANT MODE//-
Mind Game is a bombastic explosion of artistry and emotion. It is an expression of life, love, death, and the imagination.
Mind Game sunk its teeth and talons into my heart and mind and refused to let loose until it drew blood and brought me to its mercy.
Mind Game is a film that demands to be taken seriously, even while it springs and dashes around genre-conventions like a court jester hopped up on goof balls, and coated in maple syrup, powdered sugar, and chocolate covered espresso beans.
Mind Game does not exist merely to tell a story. It exists to express ideas and to explore the very nature of humankind. It is a stew of artistic mediums, and effortlessly morphs from traditional hand drawn 2D, to CGI, to photographic manipulation, to oil panting, and back again. Each mode is used to perfectly express the situation on hand - these are not superfluous changes left to the whim of a insecure artist trying to impress with technical wizardry.
Mind Game is about Nishi, and his longtime love Myon. Nishi is the prototypical loser, what the Japanese might call an “otaku.” He is a wimp, a geek, a comic book artist, and lacks direction and motivation. One day, Nishi and Myon are assaulted by a couple of thugs. Nishi has a gun shoved up his butt hole, and the goon pulls the trigger. The bullet blasts through Nishi's anus, and straight through his head. He dies, and goes to heaven and meets God. God says to Nishi, "I made you, dipshit, for my sheer enjoyment!" Nishi sees an opportunity to be reborn, and he takes it - he is given a second chance at life. He comes back mere seconds before he was shot, overcomes his assailant, saves Myon-chan and her sister, and escapes from a gang of Yakuza. On the run, the three escapees soon find themselves swallowed by a giant monster fish, and are then joined by an old hermit who has spent the last thirty years in the fishy cavern. While in the belly of the beast, each character faces personal demons, grows, and learns what it truly means to be alive.
While the above plot-synopsis is concise, the narrative description only begins to scratch the surface of what this dense tapestry has to offer. The zany narrative is only there for the director to wrap his true expression around - it's like a thin wire frame, one that gives only a hint of shape and form. Although I hesitate to invoke the names of David Lynch and Jodorowsky in fear of a lazy analogy, this is a rare occasion when such a comparison works. Like Lynch's Eraserhead, and Jodoowsky's El Topo,
Mind Game's narrative can be easily described, but such a description fails to convey all the subtle and in your face symbolism. Trying to describe the emotional head trip
Mind Game led me on is all but impossible, because it uses a surreal and dream-like language with which to communicate its ideas.
When one wakes up from a profound dream, a dream that has a tangible impact on the dreamer's own physical reality, it is very hard to paint a clear picture as to why certain aspects of the dream were more meaningful than others. While watching
Mind Game, I felt as if I was allowed into the director's head, but, what's more, I felt as if I were sharing a mental connection with an artist communicating ideas, thoughts, and themes with a lucid language only understood by “those in the know.” Now, I am not saying that I am special because I “got it,” but I am saying that all of those willing to be engaged by the film, those willing to let go and allow the film to lead, will have a good chance of feeling these emotions as well. Like all great cult films, I think those who walk away from
Mind Game with a positive feeling will feel as if they have bonded with other like-minded viewers.
Mind Game is a trip like no other. It is a unique and exciting experience. It is a highly entertaining, thought provoking artistic achievement, one that deserves far more recognition outside of its home country than it has received. I am almost tempted to rip the DVD and have it available here, on Genrebusters as a download, but alas, I don't think this is a good idea. This film has entered that very special place in my cinematic treasury - it is a film that deserves to be championed at every single opportunity.
Mind Game is truly an undiscovered gem, it is a film that I feel honored to have been able to experience, and I look forward to introducing others to its power.
