Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: JUNK HEAD [Fantasia Film Festival 2021 - Virtual]

The aspect of creating a world both nightmarish and tender is a tricky scenario. But "Junk Head", made in Japan by pretty much a single creator, is a tour-de-force in many ways, not simply for its Geiger-adjacent thought process but also in its metaphors, scale and efficiency of story. The story is not overly complicated and yet it defies description. It rules are specific and yet vast. Its lead character is one thing and yet it is another. The film is broken, in a way, into three parts with the 2nd one being the most existential by far both because of its journey but also establishment of both empathy and survival almost without words. The humor is subtle and yet biting. The monsters don't hold back from their primal instincts but also are not evil in an unusual sense. The imagery has a body horror and yet organic process to it.

The camera moves at times are beautiful and yet sensible. For what it shows and the reveal of the soundstage in the end credits makes the feat even more intense. One thinks of "Eraserhead" in a way in terms of imagery though the horror of it is a little less. While the humor, especially with the Hunters, is meant to lighten the proceedings, the ending sequences do feel a little expected though the reasoning and take away is undeniable. The film builds up though most times to an expected result and then thwarts it which is why it works. Many will make a visual connection (depending how old you are) to the seminal music video for Tool's "Sober" because it uses that same idea in a way. But this film is beautiful in its stop motion animation in relaying ideas of God, destiny and existentialism without having to verbalize them or use them for exposition. The story simply is but because of its structure, visuals and inherent scope, it is epic while being personal, tender while still being nightmarish. A

By Tim Wassberg