Symbol

Year: 2009
Genre: Absurdist Comedy
Directed: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Stars: Hitoshi Matsumoto, David Quintero, Lilian Tapia, Adriana Fricke, Carlos C. Torres, Luis Accinelli
Production: Yoshimoto Kogyo Company

What the hell did I just watch? That is the immediate reaction I am sure most will feel when first watching Symbol. It was certainly the first thought that came to my mind. Believe it or not it's not a reaction I have often. Most movies, even badly made movies have a certain respect for story structure or lacking that a regard for the audience's ability to make sense of what's going on; not so with Symbol. A third of the way through, I was elated with the fact that for the first time in a while, I was watching something completely new. It is my personal belief that the difference between a genius and a vagrant on the bus mumbling half-formed thoughts and conspiracy theories is an audience. If you come into this Japanese import with that mindset I'm confident you will find something to like if not outright love about Symbol.

One small wiener, one giant dick joke

The movie begins with Matsumoto, an unnamed Japanese man who wakes up in a large, empty, windowless room. As he gets up an examines the white room, the only abnormality he finds is a small phallic protrusion sticking out of one of the walls. He taps it with his finger; spooky, ominous music swells. Suddenly a mess of cherubs appear slowly from out of the walls and giggle as he stands petrified. They morph back into the walls leaving only their own protuberances signaling they are all a type of switch. The man screams; smells his finger and continues to scream. There are vignettes of other stories chopped into the film; one in particular we return to constantly, involving an aging Luchador anxiously awaiting his last battle. Largely though, we're left with Matsumoto flipping switches in a frantic bid to get out of the room.

You lost?

Hitoshi Matsumoto is apparently something of a big time celebrite in his homeland often playing opposite longtime partner Masatoshi Hamada. Since the eighties Matsumoto (known as the boke or funny man) and Hamada (the tsukkomi or sadist) have dominated sketch comedy TV in Japan through their "Downtown" Owarai act and various variety hour-like comedy shows. Despite a partnership that is rivaled only by maybe the South Park (1997-Present) guys, the two Japanese darlings find being around each other after the show "awkward". This would certainly explain why Hamada is in no way involved with Symbol; yet his influence is felt in every slapstick situation. There is some borrowing from the Manzai comedy tradition here but there are more visual themes associated with Bunuel and Jodorowsky not to mention a heavy dose of Kafka. It's not surprising that despite no film release in the west, the movie has been more warmly received stateside than in its native Japan.

There are various levels of subtext and meta-text at play here yet I'm inclined to belay all that and simply recommend this bizarre little trip as strongly as I can. This movie is as absurd as you're liable to get so for those who don't see the humor in a loudly dressed Japanese man struggling to escape from a human-sized Skinner box, don't bother. Those of you who are curious to see one of the goofiest, wackiest, most nonsensical movies ever committed to film, you need to see Symbol. It's hard to find online so if you find a version sans subtitles, snatch it anyway. This movie is one of those rare foreign movies you don't need a translation to understand, or rather not understand what's going on.

Final Grade: A-