Films That Witness Madness

review

IMPRINT

Takashi Miike's films, like head cheese or oysters, are an acquired taste. Owing more to the stylistic flourishes and narrative insanity of pop-manga than to traditional Japanese horror and yakuza film standards of presentation, Miike's work often straddles that uncomfortable line between absurdity and reality. While a less talented director may take the plunge in either direction, Miike often swerves between the two, creating films that adhere to conventional narrative designs but exaggerate both the typical characterizations of the staple stereotypes and the action that the narrative contains. It's not unusual for Miike to take the situations he creates to unprecedented heights. The violence contained in his films is usually extreme - much more than what is found in the typical American horror or action film - and completely over-the-top but, in his best work, Miike manages to connect the absurdist elements with reality in a way that lends an air of absolute credibility to the film. When a character suddenly reveals that she has a hand, complete with mouth, eyes and tongue, growing out of the side of her head, we may find our suspension of disbelief strained but it never breaks. Such a ridiculous plot element would derail any other film, but Miike's storytelling has prepared us for anything, his blending of the absurd and the real makes any plot development seem probable and, indeed, possible.

IMPRINT was part of Mick Garris' MASTERS OF HORROR series, a cable-aired series of short films - of varying quality - directed by well-respected horror film directors. Miike's inclusion was a bit strange as he is not, by my definition or his own, a "horror film director". He has directed musicals, comedies, dramas, and the odd thriller here and there but the majority of his films would belong to the yakuza film, the Japanese equivalent of the American gangster film. So for Miike to be included in Garris' line-up was interesting but not surprising. Miike's AUDITION - his best film and one of the finest films to emerge from the great Asian horror film boom - proved to be incredibly popular, unleashing a wave of Miike's films on DVD here in the States. His popularity was soaring. Garris' decision to offer an episode to Miike strikes me as a good business decision but the idea behind it, the christening of Miike as a "Master of Horror", comes off as a bit more opportunistic than genuine. The resulting film proved to be a bit too much for Garris and the shows producers - what exactly were they expecting from Miike? - and the episode never aired in it's original spot. Instead, it was unceremoniously dumped onto DVD. What would have been a series highlight became the unfortunate victim of good taste.

It's easy to see why IMPRINT caused such a fuss. Though John Carpenter's first contribution, CIGARETTE BURNS, contained such savory sights as a snuff-film execution via decapitation, a man gouging out both his eyes, and a crazed movie collector feeding his own guts into a film projector, IMPRINT focuses on something a bit more unpalatable to American tastes: abortion. Numerous shots of fetuses being dumped into a river - as well as a truly agonizing abortion shown from beginning to end - is a bit unsettling to anyone, even if your abortion rights pendulum swings towards pro-choice. As a topic that sharply divides Americans in every class and racial sector, the idea of showing a film that graphically depicts the act and it's bloody outcome would be ratings suicide - not to mention an easy target for strict pro-life groups ready to march at a moment's notice. If it was good business sense that lead Garris to hire Miike in the first place - as I've already suggested - then it was better business sense to drop the episode altogether. It is a bit strange that Garris mentions reading the script numerous times in one of the behind-the-scene production interviews included on the DVD release. Knowing Miike's preference for showing graphic depictions of violence and the content of the screenplay should have been an indication that the finished product would be upsetting and appalling to many viewers. Though the official explanation for the canceling of the episode - the violence was simply too graphic and disturbing - seemed a bit strange for a show that promised unfiltered content from some of the most gore-happy directors out there, the decision to pass IMPRINT onto DVD uncut instead of butchering the film via AVID was a good one.

IMPRINT tells the tale of an American journalist who arrives on a small island. He has spent years looking for a prostitute named Komomo that he fell in love with and promised he'd return for. Spending the night at a local whorehouse, he meets a mysterious, deformed prostitute who claims to have known Komomo. When the journalist presses her for information, she reveals that Komomo hanged herself months ago having lost all hope for her lover's return. Unsatisfied with her story, he pleads for her to tell him the truth. She does. Komomo was thought to have stolen a ring and was tortured because of it. She tells the journalist that she was the one who strangled Komomo to death so that her soul may rest peacefully in Heaven. Still not convinced that he is being told the truth, he demands more. Again, the prostitute tells her story, only this time, it's much, much worse than before.

The violence in IMPRINT is incredibly graphic and much more disturbing than the atrocities meted out by Miike in AUDITION. The torture sequence is truly painful. The women start by binding Komomo's hands and feet and then brand her under her arms. They then insert long needles under her fingernails and into her gums. This was the sequence declared as being too graphic for broadcast and it is indeed tough to watch. Later, a character is shot in the head but remains conscious long enough to reach behind her and pull out a handful of brain matter. Even the quieter moments are disturbing. Pedophilia, rape, and incest all rear their ugly heads. This is a mean little film.

But it is also full of beautiful images. Perhaps it's the breakneck pace of many of Miike's films that his subtle touches tend to get overlooked. IMPRINT has many moments of pure beauty, like the journalist's dream of meeting his love in a field, or a child placing windmills along the banks of the river in remembrance of the dead children. For what it's worth, IMPRINT is a great reminder that Miike, who might deserve the title of Master of Grotesquerie instead of Master of Horror, is a rather talented director capable of delivering moments of peace and beauty. It's also one hell of a horror film and easily the best of the now-defunct MASTERS OF HORROR series.

Essential viewing.

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