While I feel much of the subnarrative, metaphors and themes of Piercing were lost on me, I was undoubtedly uncomfortable for the entirety of my viewing, so that must be a testament to it's quality as a horror movie. Definitely not my cup of halcyon tea, but definitely one I'd recommend to those looking for a shocking, unsettling film with a dash of absurdity and comedy.
All style, no substance
From Nicholas Pesce, the writer and director of The Eyes of My Mother (2016), Piercing is a darkly comic psychosexual thriller. Partly a screwball comedy about a fastidious man's attempt to murder a prostitute, and his confusion and helplessness when he realises that that prostitute is far more disturbed than he is, the film dares the audience to attempt to figure out who is in charge at any given moment, and to ponder whether one (or both) of these characters would actually be quite happy to be the other's victim. Purposely made to look like a sleazy seventies skin flick, the film's sense of nostalgia drips off the screen, manifest in everything from the music borrowed from giallo films to the art-deco production design to the patently fake urban skyline to the lurid opening credits (complete with retro "Feature Presentation" card). In this sense, Pesce is a stylist, in the best sense of the term. However, at the moment, he is a stylist without much to say; as in The Eyes of My Mother, he is unable to match his not-inconsiderable aesthetic acumen with any kind of significant or tangible emotionality. The two leads are not necessarily the type of characters we're naturally predisposed to feel empathetic towards, but we surely must be expected to feel something. Anything. However, with no real sense of psychological verisimilitude nor much in the way of interiority, they remain essentially blank canvases, and primarily for this reason, the film feels more like a sketch than a finished product.
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its based on a ryu murakami novel, so. it's not all going to make sense, but it's all going to be fucking weird.
and good. weird good. i loved the acting. also, this movie is what happens when an american movie adapts a weird japanese story correctly.
While I don’t think it classifies as a horror certainly some scenes were horrific. What a quirky odd little film. I enjoyed it but for the life of me I can’t tell you why. It reminded me of some other film but I’m not sure which. I kinda want to go watch it again because I think I may have missed something that would tie it all together in my head but my sense is, probably not.
Review by DeletedBlockedParent2019-05-16T13:52:02Z
This film gets wet from all sorts of things.
With delightfully unhinged capability behind the camera, the final edit (emphasis on 'edit') of Piercing is a bizarre troupe of oddballs about human connection and how fear can go with it. It's a post-production fiesta, offering us some incredible sound design, some great split-screen use and a boatload of striking imagery.
Gag Reflexes and Gritted Teeth are what this movie gave me, and these two leading stars had a lot to do with that. Christopher Abbot is so good at playing eccentricity; this almost feels like a continuation of his role in Sweet Virginia (which is a good thing of course)...but, Mia Wasikowska is the real star here - she's wonderful.
Admittedly, nothing blew me away; I was neither electrified or energized even if I think I was supposed to be, and the abrupt ending didn't do much for me...but I can completely understand someone falling head over heels for this.
I will certainly be watching The Eyes of My Mother soon, because I think I really like Pesce's style.
The film is like Pretty Woman but fired up and walloped on meth! You can do all sorts to a story when you have a creative mind and a camera.
(although it was based off a Japanese novel, which explains the gross absurdity I guess)