185. Undergods; movie review

 

 

UNDERGODS

Cert 15

92 mins

BBFC advice: Contains  strong language, violence, bloody images

I try not to read or watch reviews or synopses of a movie before experiencing it because of fear of spoilers.

However, I have to admit that background knowledge of certain pictures would be handy - particularly ones which are based on historical fact.

Undergods is fiction but Mrs W and I would probably have benefited from understanding at least some of Chino Moya's intentions before embarking upon his film.

Put simply, we didn't get it.

Moya's anthology of short stories is set in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic society.

Well, some of them seem to be - because there is a bit of a parallel universe thing going on until the subjects converge.

The common strand seems to be disrupted marriages - for example, that of Ron (Michael Gould) and Ruth (Hayley Carmichael) whose love has long lost its lustre when needy neighbour Harry (Ned Dennehy) shows up.

Another shared element is the violence in which all of the tales culminate.

Others include one of a rich merchant (Eric Godon) who tries to rip-off a designer (Tadhg Murphy) but unwittingly risks the safety of his beloved daughter (Tanya Reynolds).

Then Kate Dickie plays a wife who is stunned when the husband she thought long-dead reappears in the house she shares with her new spouse.

Between each short story, the movie flicks back to two men (Johann Myers and Géza Röhrig) who are driving around rubbled streets picking up dead bodies to throw into their truck.

Every section left us bewildered so I felt compelled to read other reviews before writing mine.

All use the word dystopian - even though I would guess most of the British public don't know what it means (a fictional community or society that is undesirable or frightening).

This tends to conjure thoughts of Blade Runner or Mad Max but, although they are not easy to follow, they certainly make more obvious sense than Undergods.

I also read that Moya was commenting on the break-up of the EU with his movie. I'm sorry I just didn't grasp that at all.

I guess that watching Undergods is a bit like going to an art gallery and trying to establish the artist's intention without ever knowing the right or wrong answer.

Some may enjoy doing that - Mrs W and I prefer not to work so hard on our movies.

Reasons to watch: If you want to work out what a movie is saying

Reasons to avoid: So difficult to follow

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 3.5/10

Did you know? The first modern dystopias, The Story of The Days to Come and When The Sleepers Wakes by H. G. Wells were published in 1899.

The final word. Chino Moya: "I’ve put a lot of my ideas into it, and a lot of my concerns and worries about the world in which we live and with our era of western society. Especially about man and masculinity as well and the failed societies that western man have built for themselves.’ The Wee Review

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