Every so often a film comes along that is so weird and odd that not only do you wonder what you’re watching, but it’s so weird and odd that you can’t turn away. The new Japanese animated film by Haiena, Luginsky, is one of those.
Luginsky follows the story of Deerman (a man with the literal head of a deer with the voice of Nobu Otani) who finds himself on a downward spiral after a motorcycle accident causes him to hallucinate. The only problem is, his doctor doesn’t believe him.
Luginsky is an animated film, combining photography with magazine cut-outs, computer graphics and more. You really have to see it to believe it. It’s sort of like the old school animation Terry Gilliam did for Monty Python. In a way it’s a shame that subtitles are needed to describe the story, because you miss a lot of the things going on in the background. Usually this would be a cause to rewatch the film, but really, not many people will want to take the ride again after watching it once.
On some level you may find that it’s the monotone narration by the characters keeping you watching the film, but that’s not really doing the film justice. It’s the odd ball story that keeps you glued to the screen and the symbolism that makes you want more.
There is no doubt that Luginsky is the type of film many people will turn away from, in fact the star rating below was almost impossible to come up with, but give it a chance. Perhaps when you’ve had a bit to drink. Just make sure it’s not a bottle of pink bootleg liquor you are reaching for.
- Release Date: 10/29/2021
