In reading many of the comments on "eXistenZ," I find that the people who don't like it limit their statements to "it was stupid" or "it was dumb" or "it made no sense." In these short reviews, I think they give away why they missed the point and didn't like the film.
I thoroughly enjoyed "eXistenZ," and found myself intellectually (if not emotionally) engaged from the beginning. Maybe it's just prior experience with Cronenberg. His modus operandi is to plant hints right in front of the audience all the way along, but never point them out. It's the audience's job to pay attention, and put the pieces together along the way.
Much has been made of a scene in the film wherein Jude Law eats a rather grotesque lunch, then constructs a gun out of the bones from the meal -- and this scene is exactly how the audience has got to watch the film. Pick through the yucky parts, look at the structure beneath, then construct something meaningful from the pieces. The question of what is reality and what is part of an elaborate video (cranial?) game is constant in the film, from the first frame to the last. To Cronenberg's credit, he refuses to state the answer. Speaking of credits, as with most of Cronenberg's films, even the design of the opening crawl presents the theme of the film. In this case, we are presented with a multi-layered, constantly shifting combination of what seem to be vivid natural rock formations and forests (and which are probably artificial representations) interwoven with barely visible anatomical sketches; in other words, the artificial presented as real, and the real reduced to the artificial, with each piece obscuring and/or highlighting the other. It's a quite remarkable job that far too many people won't pay attention to, because they'll still be yacking and munching their popcorn, waiting for the movie to "start." But, much like the game within the film, it starts before you really think it does...
The only flaws in the film are Cronenberg's signature weaknesses as a writer; lack of development in Act II and an abrupt finale. As with most of his movies ("Videodrome" and "Crash" being the most blatant examples) just when we get to the point that should be the middle of Act II, we suddenly leapfrog to Act III, blast through it in a scene, then hit the finish. You certainly can't say he lets his movies drag, but this foreshortening has left me feeling a little cheated in many of his previous films. I didn't feel as cheated this time, because "eXistenZ" left so many little puzzles and enigmas to consider afterwards -- certainly enough to carry through conversation on the drive home and dinner afterwards. And, to further bolster the well thought-out complexity of the script, these questions all connected back to possible answers, and brought up further questions, that fed back to other answers, and so on.
Finally, I found all of the performances brilliant, especially considering the trick the actors had to face -- they knew when they were playing "real" or "game," but had to portray their own reality without giving it away to us. Jennifer Jason Leigh continues to be one of my favorite actresses, and a true chameleon. She doesn't play a part, she lives it. Also, Jude Law is a real find, displaying a wide range, from vulnerable wimp to hard-edged tough guy. Willem DaFoe and Ian Holm turn up in what are basically cameos, but give their all to these small parts.
In short, "eXistenZ" won't please the multiplex crowd, who only want big, loud commercial films that offer up everything in a nutshell, explained neatly on page 87 by a character who knows too much -- but it's perfect for people who like to let their movies make them think, who try to stay a step ahead, and who don't give up in frustration the instant they don't catch something. It left me looking forward to Cronenberg's next effort.
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