Gyakufunsha kazoku

I first saw this movie before I had ever set foot in Japan, and found it freaky and outrageous. A tour de force of punk values in celluloid. I assumed that much of this impression was due to my unfamiliarity with Japan. Now, after living in Japan from 1987 until 1991, it's still just as outrageous. One of the rare movies that combines freak out visual images with a serious concept. Ishii takes the 'typical' Japanese family by each stereotype in turn, and stretches each to cartoon extremes. Lock all these characters in a house with all the windows and doors nailed shut, and let the climax to this movie slowly build. Recommended for viewers who are decidedly not faint hearted.