Release Date: May 1, 2015 (Limited and VOD)
Director: Quentin Dupieux
MPAA Rating: NR
Run Time: 95 min.
If there’s one thing that can be said about absurdist director Quentin Dupieux, it’s that, for better or worse, there’s no other director making movies quite like his. Whether it’s about a sentient tire going on a murderous rampage through the desert (Rubber) or a strange tale of a missing dog tracked through his poop memories (Wrong), Dupieux consistently brings a unique and utterly baffling vision to the screen in everything he creates. In his latest, Reality, he takes this nonsensical style to a whole new level, adding layer upon layer of bewildering confusion that dares the audience to keep up, with mixed results.
Taking place in some sort of bizarre Los Angeles, where half the people there speak French, the film begins with a little girl, named Reality, discovering a mysterious blue VHS tape housed inside the innards of a boar that her father kills. The film then begins introducing several plot threads, all of which appear disconnected at first but slowly begin interweaving themselves within one another, creating a complex spider web of storylines.
One of these threads, which appears to be the main through line, is the story of Jason, played by Alain Chabat, a cameraman and aspiring filmmaker. After pitching his film idea – a movie called Waves that involves TVs coming to life and killing people (not unlike Rubber) – to a producer friend who loves the idea but needs to hear the perfect groan in order to greenlight the project, Jason begins obsessing over capturing this perfect groan. He even fantasizes about winning the Oscar for best groan (which is presented to him by The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius).
The story of Jason ties together with three other sub-plots: Reality and the videotape; the host of a children’s program (Jon Heder), who is having an Eczema attack on the inside; and a man with a penchant for wearing a dress and driving around town in a military jeep (Eric Wareheim) struggling to keep his secret.
If that doesn’t sound confusing enough, some of the characters have multiple versions of themselves, including some that are contained within dreams of others and some who appear in scenes take place in a movie within the movies we’re seeing. It’s truly an exhausting experience that, at times, feels like a light-hearted F-you from Dupieux who loves playing with the audience.
The film is billed as a comedy, and while the whole package is humorous in its absurdity, there are very few laugh-out-loud moments. Those familiar with Dupieux’s style will get it, and those going in cold will most likely leave frustrated.
Reality is Dupieux’s most complex film to date, one that benefits from a re-watch to pick up every small breadcrumb he leaves tucked away in each scene that fools you into thinking you’re one step closer to figuring it all out. Although not as outright funny as Wrong, it’s an entertaining trip nonetheless.
