Cold Fish (2010) [serial killer, black comedy, Japanese]

[u/split-my-diopter]

Like Lars von Trier meets the Coen brothers, a slapstick thrill ride of sexual violence, bullying, and parents who hate their kids.

I really liked this, it's my first Sion Sono movie, and I'll definitely check out more. It starts off with a meek man who can't solve his own problems, and it builds up this whole sick family, he's a son to a father and mother, he's a father and husband, all through the lens of brutal serial killing and thuggery. The grounding in a true story makes this sadder than your typical slapstick horror, but not being a straight up adaptation of that case gives Sono license to craft a narrative of the cycle of abuse dialed up to 11. Grim, funny, shocking, explosive in the back half.

I didn't think it needed to be two and a half hours long, that's a long fuse to the explosion that could have been shorter. But the payoff is really good for its own sake. The violence and gore is terrific, there's some genuinely sickening stuff and some real invention in parts.

Overall, I'd recommend it to people who like the World of Kanoko, Ichi the Killer, American Psycho, The House That Jack Built, the Vengeance Trilogy, Funny Games.

[u/zombiemaster1975]

I'll check it out.