In a futuristic, post-apocalyptic world, K and Z roam the streets on the lookout for corpses and something even more valuable – fresh meat.
Never before have I seen a film quite as intriguing, beguiling, and numbingly captivating and have had absolutely no clue as to what the fuck was going on.
Staring Kate Dickie (The Witch, Game of Thrones), Ned Dennehy (Mandy, Peaky Blinders), Geza Rohrig (Resistance, Son of Saul), Burn Gorman (Pacific Rim, Enola Holmes) and Tanya Reynolds (Emma., Sex Education) and written and directed by Chino Moya, Undergods has already received two BIFA nominations prior to its release this coming May 17th, when it will be available for both digital download and screening in selected cinemas.
Right, where to start? The plot? That seems a good a place as any. Undergods is not so much a single story or premise as it is a cobbled together mash of bizarre tales somehow coherent through a common theme of chaos. While sometimes post-apocalyptic in nature, we travel back and forth through time and space, seemingly never in any one, single reality but rather a shared narrative of struggle, despair and desire. Most of the tales do seem to share a common theme of alpha versus beta male; the macho man versus the cuckold, which was an interesting choice of theme (for me at least). Other themes addressed range from lust to loyalty to loss to pretty much everything in between. Calling the plot “hard to follow” would be a laughable understatement but you’d have to call me a liar if I said that I wasn’t happy to try! I ended up watching the film twice in an attempt to glean if I had perhaps just missed the plot completely…and I’m still not sure.
The acting is phenomenal. It is hard to really single out a specific performance as most are over relatively quickly as the plot moves from one twilight zone to another. That said, the cast still managed to really blow me away. There were no weak links, with everyone bringing their A-game and then some. If I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be Eric Gordon’s Hans simply for how well he pulls off his character, but there were truly so many that were worthy of praise that it would be a waste of your and my time to name them all.
The score and the sound design overall were also really fantastic, bringing that much-needed ambiance and pulling all of the very different scenes together with a common, haunting melody. It really brought the atmosphere and was noticeable (in a good way) throughout the film. The other technical aspects were more than up to par, with the numerous funds from the BFI and other foundations giving the film a budget that shows in its production value. There was very little—technically—to fault at all.
So, what about the critique? What were the glaring errors that we need to shine a light upon? I personally have none. I loved it. It was an unhinged ride through bat country and I wish I’d had a joint in my hand rather than a whiskey. That is not to say that this is a perfect production; not by any means of the imagination. It is more a fever dream than a regular film and will have many a viewer (If not most) starring at their screen in utter confusion. Some will probably even feel cheated, angry that they wasted their cash on this crazy cacophony of cinema absurd. I didn’t. I revelled in the confusion and enjoyed the experience, as bizarre as it was. I have strange tastes though, so be warned.
Thanks for reading and as always, stay sordid. Undergods will be in select cinemas and On Demand from May 17. Trailer and poster below.
