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| Images Courtesy Doppleganger Releasing |
Some existential movies, like many existential philosophers, can spin you in circles without giving you much direction on where to go once the ride stops. They may create empathetic experiences and raise some thoughtful questions, but they can also finish on an unsatisfying note.
Last year’s Mr. K does all these things, but it instead connects seemingly disparate surreal and philosophical scenes into a journey of maturation.
Despite its brief runtime, Mr. K is packed with so many rich visuals and hefty existential ideas that separate essays could be written on either of those aspects of the film. The visuals could be compared to the production design of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the surrealism of David Lynch, and the moist horror of David Cronenberg.
The film’s production is just as varied. The Norwegian-Belgian-Dutch production was filmed in the Netherlands and received production funds from almost every country in northern Europe. The sequence of different production, distribution companies, and film lottery awards that precede the opening credits of the film actually takes some time to get through.
But then viewers are introduced to Mr. K (Crispin Glover), a magician whose show is ignored by everyone sitting in the nightclub where he’s performing. He then checks into a beautifully retro hotel in disrepair, where a brusque receptionist shouts rules over her shoulder as she’s taking him to his room. And then the blend of surreal and nightmarish experiences begin.
Some films with this complex a production could be an unfocused mess. But Norwegian director Tallulah H. Schwab keeps the disorienting experiences thematically focused and connected. This film’s strength is putting Crispin Glover through the existential ringer in a well-paced way. The frustrating experiences depict so many situations from existential writers like Kafka and Kierkegaard. Director Schwab even stated that the main character’s name is a direct reference to the main character in Kafka’s The Trial.
Viewers unfamiliar with these existential ideas could have a more difficult time seeing the thematic connections or the existential progress Mr. K makes in the film. If so, they can still enjoy the production design and surreal elements.
Mr. K isn’t able to find the exit, forcing him to explore the hotel and get further entangled in the lives of the other employees and guests at the hotel. Many of these people have never left the hotel, while others are content to stay or are afraid of leaving. More are also distrustful or hateful of Mr. K for trying to help others to leave.
Each of the three acts of the film progress the surrealism and existential metaphors so that Mr. K and the audience can’t get too comfortable. Had this film lingered in any of these experiences or stages, this could have felt more labored or heavy-handed.
Luckily, Mr. K is a visual feast that moves along quick enough to keep audiences disoriented and continually entertained.
- Eric Beach