In the distant future, mankind attains longevity through gene manipulation. However, in exchange, the ability to reproduce is lost. Clones were built to maintain the dwindling workforce, but 1,200 years ago, they rebelled. The humans, suddenly finding a need to understand their subterranean-dwelling creations, launch an ecological study.
The multi-talented Japanese artist, Takahide Nori, spent seven years crafting this epic stop-motion animated sci-fi feature. Throughout “Junk Head,” I was humored, confused, and creeped out. The only other stop-motion feature close to this is Phil Tippet’s “Mad God.”
In both films, a voiceless protagonist treks across a dystopian world full of horrifying sights and sounds. While “Junk Head” is undeniably haunting at times, it contains an adorable quality. Hori’s sweet humor and hardcore imagery recall Anime sensibilities, which is a compliment. A fair amount of anime series are far more compelling than most live-action films and series of the last 10-20 years.
Aside from directing, Nori handled nearly every aspect of “Junk Head.” He voiced almost a dozen characters, sculpted puppets, storyboarded, oversaw art direction, edited, and even composed the score. Sometimes seeing one man credited multiple times in their own film can cause an unintentional chuckle – but I was impressed.
There is little to tell about the story except that “Junk Head” occurs in a world where infertile humans have relied on clones for labor. And now this fully automated luxury has been turned upside down since the clones rebelled and ventured deep underground, creating a chaotic subterranean existence. The humans wish to study this new species of clones and send in the titular Junk head to complete their research.
All the characters speak in backward gibberish in the underground world and above. Whenever I hear this speaking style, it always recalls David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.” With incoherent dialogue (no captions are provided), it took me a bit to get into the film’s offbeat narration. Also, there is a monster in the movie that is so unsettling I might be looking under my bed for a bit. Another freaky creature resembles the brain tree thing from “Twin Peaks: The Return.” Junk Head itself is very cutely designed, and you absolutely root for it to escape the ongoing nightmare where drooling monsters defecate out of their mouths. Nori’s vision of the underground world and an above-ground future where human/robot hybrids live in high-story buildings with simulated realities was familiar but still effective.
Straddling the line between “Jacob’s Ladder” and cyberpunk dystopian aesthetics, “Junk Head” is nightmarish and intentionally incoherent. But if any of those films or aesthetics are up your alley, this film is worth your time.
Available on Blu-ray™ August 15th
