Mimicry Freaks

First and foremost, this is a splatter film without any splatter. The plot is thin, boring, incoherent, and feels like a mix of things that have been done many times before. Poor acting and effects etc. Not worthy of saying much more.

Loose camerawork, sharp cuts, stark and hard-nosed direction, and intense, explosive acting all impose a definite freneticism about the proceedings whether it best serves the material or not. Varied music is mostly harshly ambient, and sometimes discordant if not outright bombastic, and this and distinct points of stylization accentuate that indicated freneticism. We also get changing settings, resetting scenes, a split narrative, shifting perspectives, characters unclear of their circumstances, and explicit intonation right from the top of mimicry - all implicitly suggesting a psychological edge to the proceedings, and emphatically layering uncertainty and mystery on top of the storytelling. There's also sudden introduction after only a fraction of the runtime has elapsed of a definitive anchor point for the narrative, telling us very clearly at least part of what is happening, but in the process pointedly running contrary to the murkiness previously and otherwise established as the foundation of the tale well before the plot otherwise begins to develop. There's a lot that filmmaker Fujii Shugo is doing with this picture. Much of it is admirable in and of itself; some of it is overbearing and irksome. Some of it works well in concert, and some of it, not so much.

The nature of characters and their identities also very plainly fluctuate over time, often with ugly violence spotlighting as much as 'Mimicry freaks' presents. Much of that violence is so gruesome and sadistic that it's as terribly blunt, brutal, and unwatchable as the worst in "torture porn" like 'Hostel' or 'The passion of the christ,' and unfortunately, it's not just the violence that's tasteless and tactless. As the narrative gradually unfolds there are scenes and moments throughout that are just boorish and tiresome, not least as Fujii also takes cues from sheer exploitation, and some beats and character writing (a) are not as clever as the filmmaker thought they were, and/or (b) inspire a tired sigh or raise a skeptical eyebrow. This is to say nothing of how the two story threads converge with their different sets of characters; while I believe there are good ideas here - some really great ideas, in fact - as it is the writing feels kind of forced and inorganic. When one further considers the disparity between those aspects of the production that would and probably ideally should be more nuanced in their dispensation or application, and those aspects that are purposefully forthright, severe, or frenzied as executed, and there are a lot of rough edges in this film.

I actually do like it. When one sits back and considers the totality of the story, there are brilliant, darkly enjoyable notions on hand that are absolutely ripe for cinematic telling. I genuinely love Ueda Kenji's far-flung music, unquestionably one of the top highlights in my opinion; the filming locations are excellent, as is the production design. The stunts and effects are vivid and impactful, and while some tidbits are extra gross or difficult to watch, there was some minor ingenuity that went into this horror-thriller. If sometimes a bit much in how it all comes across, I can't fault the cast for giving committed, spirited performances. There's much to appreciate in these eighty-five minutes, and it's hardly as if Fujii's writing and direction are bad, or anything else I've spotlighted in a more doubting manner. It's just that some elements are decidedly smart and carefully considered, and others are not. The ideas are there, and the skill and intelligence, but it seems to me that Fujii bit off more than he could chew, as the saying goes - and alongside those facets of one sort or another that don't come off so well, the result is a mixed bag. All told I think this movie is better than not; it finds more strength as the length draws on, and I really do admire what went into it, and want to like it more than I do for what it does well. For those ways in which it is troubled, however, my favor only extends so far.

For the record, content warnings are also necessary for child abuse, torture, sexual assault, and animal cruelty in addition to that graphic violence. Any recommendation 'Mimicry freaks' might earn is necessarily paired with giant asterisks and heavy caveats. Provided one is receptive to all that the genre has to off then it is worth checking out, and may Fujii grow as a filmmaker and impress more in the future. Just know that this title has issues in the first place, and that in light of the entirety of everything to greet us here, one way or another it's a relatively small niche audience that is likely to get the most out of it.