Steak - Quentin Dupiex

I would say this is my Quentin Dupieux favourite so far.

Dupieux himself said Steak might be his least received work ever. First, steak is a film which should have been released in no more than 40 theatres. Since it is featured 2 well-known french comedians Eric & Ramzy, the PR marketed it as a typical comedy so it was released in more than 300 theatres in France. If you know a little about Dupieux, you would have known his style is no where close to typical french comedies (it is pretty much the same as the American comedies, only it tries to have a message behind, kind of like "what we've learnt from the fairy tales".) In order words his movies are not for everyone.

Steak is trying to tackle the issue of social status. How we try to fit into the norm, be part of something that we are not or literally changing our apperances to be more attractive. ( it exists in some places already. In South Korean plastic surgery is really common.) But how far w1ould we go? To which point we will say stop and just be ourselves. Hat off for the way how Dupieux presents the scenario.

Life is a never ending high school. When they are a group of people there will be troubles. Anti bulling campaigns keep saying "it's getting better".  Because we don't see those people in a regular basis or you could hide yourself from them after you graduated. We could embrace it and live with it or even try to be one of the bullies. Steak is a little more than just becoming one of them. Fitting in is not easy, faking it is even harder. At the end of the day you would ask yourself why? Why am I doing this?

I love how the little details Dupieux put in his movies. Again they are really subtle but yet they are powerful enough to have his points come across.

*As per my understanding Steak has only been released in french speaking countries. Only the Canadian DVD has english subtitles but unfortunately it has been out of stock since. I think you might be able to find the english subtitles online.

Rubber - Quentin Dupieux

I felt like every month I'm learning a little more about the cinema world. Exploring different genres, styles and their theories. Last month I went full force with Larry Clark and almost ended in a really  bad note. I guess I will take some time off from him and revisit his works later. Back to my curious  but yet quite positive about this new "experiment" - Quentin Dupieux.*

I have heard a lot about "a movie about a tire who kills people". According to different people around me, artists, film lovers, my boyfriend and people who don't go to the cinema often told me it is a Cult movie which I shouldn't miss. Finally, found an excuse and time to actually sat down and watched it. (I can't believe even my boyfriend had watched and I, a self-claimed movie-lover hadn't!)

It's actually quite funny, really subtle humour. Don't let the killer thing fool you, it's just a candy wrapping. What's really inside is way more interesting. Rubber starts with a really promising concept. A movie about "no reason". Why people make movies,  no reason, why people are thinking, no reason, why we do this or that, no reason. This is no such thing as no reason, everything we see, we touch, we feel, there are reasons behind them. Are they a solid reason maybe maybe not. And  Duplex knows it and he plays along with it pretty well. He is actually leading your nose without you noticing (Maybe I am interpreting too much). According to one of his interviews, he said his movies are more for people to interpret, "to make the movie your own."

I will break the movie down in 3, one: the spectators, two: the "Actors", and three "the tire". Why those 3 things, no reason. Dupieux gave them something more than their lines (one literally no line). Something bigger then they are to tell us something. Things just happen for no reason, stop doubting yourself and just be a tire. Or questioning the authority, or just be a bystander. Which one you prefer?

*Dupieux' new movie Réalité is going to be in cinema this month and as usual there is a detailed feature in Cahiers du Cinema. (and yes I sort of got the idea from it, and still I refuse to read anything until I watch the movie.)