Viva La Muerte
Year: 1971
Grade: B-
Country: France
Director: Arrabal
Reviewbizarre surrealist film about a boy whose father was taken from him for being a revolutionary. eventually he discovers that his mother turned in his father and he grapples with this realization and loss. things happen, but the plot isn’t all that memorable. the memorable thing about the film is the way in which arrabal uses film to portray the boy’s feelings and thoughts, as well as flesh out the themes of the picture. lots of tough visuals and oblique references, etc. mark the visual style, but this is the norm in the genre. probably the most i can say about the film is that it’s watchable; compelling even. i put it on with the intention of just seeing what it was like, but i ended up watching the entire film. not only did it make me want to see it, it did this despite being a surrealist picture. i’m not a huge fan of surrealism, as much of it is pedantic and too tough to penetrate. here, though, that wasn’t the case. worth checking out for those who are interested in film, not just movies.