Reviewed By-Steve Genier
Year-2001/DVD release 2002
Directed By-Takashi Miike
Cast-Kenichi Endo, Shungiku Hida, Kazushi Watanabe and Shoko Nakahara
Source-Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock DVD REG ALL
Runtime-84mins
Have you ever did it with your father? Have you ever been hit in the head? Or, have you ever hit your mother? Those are just the beginnings in what your in store for while watching Visitor Q. Now for good ways to describe this very odd entry from Japanese cult director Takashi Miike. Shocking, that's a sheer understatement, how about gross? That would lead you to believing that this film was only one dimensional in terms of what genre Visitor Q falls under. Ahhh, the word best suited for this film would have to be dysfunctional and that's not just because the central characters are all against the norm, but the film itself goes against the grain as well. Picture a family were the father is an unemployed television journalist who has sex with his daughter who sells her body for a living. The mother is not only a crack headed prostitute, but is abused by their son who in turns is being bullies by others at school. This folks is the picture perfect family in Miike's Visitor Q, but why call it Visitor Q, that my friends is the common thread that pulls this film together. The visitor (Kazushi Watanabe) enters in a most usual way, in a very symbolic way I might add. He becomes the light at the end of the tunnel for this picture of despair, he shows the unseen and connects all the dots leading the family to their ever lasting happiness. Miike covers just about every corner in VQ, the whole TV realism fad, necrophilia, several other taboos and family relations or for better words..lack of. He made me laugh, cringe and most of wonder as to how a director came across such a vast amount of subjects and being able to pull them altogether and making it work. Ever since I've discovered the works of Takashi Miike with experiencing his other films such as Audition and Ichi The Killer, I have come to know this is one director with diversity. Although not as gross as Ichi, the vulgar factor in VQ equals that of the most notorious films for shock value. Images that you've never seen, wonder about and plain make your stomach queeze a little.
Going into depth a little here, there are several scenes I wish to share just for those who haven't experienced this very surreal film. The beginning pits you right in the middle of controversy. A very awkward moment between a father and his daughter. Well, at least to the innocent mind that is. A taboo still very much hiding in the closet, incest. A father having sex with his daughter and having to pay for it and not just with money either. I must add not having enough either..."the rest I will give to your mother", "you have to keep this our secret". To top that off, the daughter teases her father for cumming early and showing his inadequacies. Further into the film a scene that had me not some much as laughing, but thinking to myself that this is really something you don't see everyday. The Visitor embraces the mother and begins to squeeze her nipples and causing them to milk, much like as if she were pregnant. This in turns excites the mother and has her wondering how he has accomplished this feat. It becomes a new fad for the mother, who figures out how to do it herself. The one thing that stood out in that scene was Miike's camera frame, tilted to an angle were it not only shows the Visitor and the mother, but also showing a picture of the daughter in the lower corner. These are the types of under-lining elements that Miike adds to have the viewers thinking out the answers and not blurting them out for you. Finally one other scene that will have you in tears, laughter that is. Upon killing his tv producer, brings her back home and plans to chop her up to get rid of the evidence. First things first though, to make up for his earlier inadequacies, he decides to have sex with the corpse resulting in getting his member stuck. Junky wife to the rescue, after trying vinegar, oil and just about everything else. She shoots her husband up with a dose of heroin to finally get him free. Do not try this one at home folks! One must not forget one of the most important themes of this film, TV realism. To get the just of it all, Miike uses a digital cam to capture the true essences of this. Every important element throughout this film is documented for a show idea being promoted by the father. The beatings his son endures, the sex between him and his daughter, even his conquering of the corpse and the methods of freeing him from it's clutches. Miike literally lays out the pieces to a puzzle that you must figure out to get the full just of this very dysfunctional film.
Holding off and waiting for a NTSC version of this to be released by Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock, I ordered as soon as it was released. Again though, like the PAL REGION 2 DVD, this is presented in full-screen. A very big disappointment, considering the magnitude of this film. Media Blasters under their Asian release sub-company Tokyo Shock did a very nice job with it's overall presentation, beefing up the extras from the imported counterpart. Still though there is only liner notes and a couple of trailers, and no wide-screen option. This isn't even present in digital 2.0 another letdown. I believe this Miike film deserves a better treatment, one like that of Ventura's release of the other Miike classic Audition.
Story- 4 Bitch Slaps
Audio-2 Bitch Slaps
Picture-3 Bitch Slaps
Extras-2 Bitch Slaps
Overall-3 Bitch Slaps (and that is only because of the tremendous effort on Miike's part)