Bound to be divisive, especially for a midnight crowd expecting loud and debaucherous cinema, The Gesuidouz from cult director Kenichi Ugana features a slow pace out of the gate. But the film builds through the second half to a rousing crescendo of a finale that should have audiences that stay with the film humming on the way out of the theatre.
Led by horror film-obsessed front woman Hanako (Natsuko), convinced she will die once she turns 27 like other rock legends she idolizes, The Gesuidouz is a punk band without direction. Exhausted by dealing with nonexistent sales on their first album, their record label signs them up for a government program to relocate them to the country. They geta free house on the auspices that they work in the community but also write a killer song. But the group has never been able to hold a regular job for more than a week and can’t play their instruments too well either. But after inspiration literally strikes them , the group births a new song, actually coming in the form of a talking cassette tape, that brings them to international attention.
The Gesuidouz packs in some fun cameos that people worldwide, especially those of Midnight Madness, will know and recognize. But this film belongs to Natsuko. It’s a tour de force performance that is as vulnerable as it is fierce. And while the band may start with some truly awful music, the final song ‘Smells Like a Zombie’ is a bonafide hit.
- Rated: NR
- Genre: Cult, musical, Surreal
- Release Date: 9/11/2024
- Directed by: Kenichi Ugana
- Starring: Leo Imamura, Natsuko, Rocko Zevenbergen, Yukata Kyan, Yuya Endo
- Produced by: Riku Sumida, Yusuke Suzuki
- Written by: Kenichi Ugana
- Studio: METEORA, Rights Cube, Vandalism
