Kim Ki-duk is one of the most notorious filmmakers working today. The South Korean auteur is, in ways, similar to Lars von Trier in that he doesn’t give a damn about the subject matter or what you think of his films. In other ways, he takes things to the next level as this man makes certain films that could never be made in America, let alone be digested by mass audiences, a special pallet is certainly required. While I’ve only seen one of his films, the excellent Pieta, Moebius, which has no dialogue, is on a whole other level, one that had many people walking out of the theater and, as a man, one that will undoubtable make you squirm in your seat.
I’m going to provide two synopses, one that’s vague but sufficient and one that’s a detailed overview of the film with spoilers abound. I normally don’t like spoilers but I’m using this as a warning tool for those who don’t have the stomach to handle the film.
NON-SPOILER After a husband’s (Jo Jae-Hyun) affair has been exposed by both his wife (Lee Eun-Woo) and observed by his coveting son (Seo Young-Joo), his wife goes crazy and tries to cut his penis off while sleeping. After failing, she then successfully cuts her son’s and escapes off into the city. The film follows the father and son as they try to get over and adapt to the tragedy that has occurred. What follows the attack is certainly not what you expect and includes a lot of difficult subject matter such as rape, sadomasochism, and more.
And here is the crazy detailed SPOILER synopsis. In Moebius, a wife finds out her husband is cheating on her. The son witnesses it too. That night, in a fit of rage, the wife tries to cut the dad’s dick off while he’s sleeping. After failing, she goes to her son’s room and cuts his dick off. She then leaves the home and the father is left to care for the son. Soon the son and his father’s mistress get sexual but he runs away before she can see his condition. Later, after pissing on himself in a bathroom, some kids jump him to discover why he dripped on his shoe. They come back to humiliate him again only to be attacked by a different group. That group then rapes the father’s mistress or rather the son’s new fuck buddy. The son is sent to prison for being part of the attack even though he’s incapable of rape. While in prison, the father looks up ways to find a penis for his son. In the meantime, he comes across a method of sadomasochism that can provide pleasure without a penis, it involves rubbing a rock on your skin, burning and scraping skin off until you reach orgasm. It’s painful, then complete bliss, and then the pain comes back. The son and the father’s mistress reunite and she stabs him, the knife becomes a faux-dick and she shakes it inside him until he has his orgasm. They team up and when one of the rapists is let out of prison they cut his dick off. Later, after discovering that a penis transplant is finally possible, the father, who feels guilty, donates his own to the son, though successfully transferred the son still can’t have an erection. Shortly thereafter the mom comes home and becomes the only person the son can get an erection from. While the father tries to stop her, the mom then jerks her son off because she wants to provide for him. The father then goes crazy and attempts to go cut off his son’s penis, or his former penis, off of his son’s body. Soon enough, the parents go at it again and the father kills her and then himself. Upon seeing both his parents dead and realizing what caused it, the son decides to shoot off his “new” dick. The End. END SPOILER
To say Moebius is completely fucked up isn’t an understatement. This is a movie that will make you squirm yet somehow also make you laugh. It’s an experience that I will never forget and one I challenge people to see. I thought the ball crushing scene in Bullhead was traumatizing but Kim Ki-duk manages to turn the soul crushing feeling of losing a male sexual organ up to 11 and then adds another dial so he can keep going. It’s a film that will leave some questioning humanity, but for others, those that can step back and look at the film from an art house perspective and with a critical eye, will see it’s really not that bad of a film. Sure, it’s disturbing and exploitative at times, which leads to some very funny parts, but this film does have a coherent story and it makes complete sense. In one sentence you could say this film is about the desire to have one man’s penis. It sound
s odd but that’s the truth.
As far as the film’s approach, I liked the idea of having no dialogue but there are some scenes where I wish at least a few words were spoken, it would have helped enhance some of the impact of certain scenes. This is particularly true in the instances where an actor (or actors) couldn’t live up to the scene with just their pure physical emotion. Some scenes lost their impact because of the restraint that they had to show, but that could be a result of the director saying to hold back a bit.
While the above is problematic throughout, my main issue with the film is how composed the kid was after losing his penis. Shock can only last for so long before one breaks down at the thought of not being able to masturbate or have sex and this kid was able to move on with relative ease. The struggle for him was when other people exposed his condition, teased him about it or forced his pants down to see it, that’s what made it difficult for him and what would ignite his rage. It just doesn’t seem like a realistic reaction. I don’t know any teenage male, regardless of how mature they are, that wouldn’t break down after their mom chopped their dick off.
Overall, Moebius isn’t an easy film to watch by any stretch of the imagination. It’s an experience made for those who know of or are familiar with Kim Ki-duk’s work, but even then it’s going to be a challenge. Despite its harshness and graphic nature, this comically twisted tale generally works thanks to some pretty solid turns from its lead actors and a story that flows pretty quickly even if, at times, unevenly. If rape, penis chopping and sadomasochism scare the living crap out of you then do not see this movie, but if you’re curious how a visually screwed up film can still manage to be good, then I’d say give it a go.
Rating: A comically twisted drama about a family destroyed by one man’s [eventually severed] penis (6.7/10)
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