zNdjenja zNdjenja

I’m not quite sure what I just watched. I actually watched a bit more than half of the film 3-4 weeks ago, and finished the rest today. I definitely liked what I watched today more. I like the dream logic and “dreaminess” of it, but I didn’t find it all that moving or special, so I’m sure I missed key elements of it. I’ll have to re-watch it at some point to try and fully immerse myself in it.

Definitely the most art house film I’ve ever watched. I feel that this was really fun to shoot but a pain to edit. Speaking of the editing, and the visuals in general… I love them. I really like how this film is all over the place (visually), and not only are the visuals overstimulating at times (in a good way), there’s also some genuine beautiful shots. However, I’m giving this film a 3 instead of a 3.5 because I won’t lie… it did get me bored. I watched it between two nights, and despite a lot going on visually, the lack of plot made it unfortunately a bit boring to me. The acting was mostly awful, which I’ve come to expect from Japanese films. It could be because I’m not really into Japanese humor, but I’m not sure. That being said, I realize that the acting is meaning to be “amateur” and purposefully bad in this film (I guess for comedic effect). Despite the vast majority of the film being unserious, there were certain parts, especially in the beginning, that felt genuine and invoked emotion. I emphasize, I loved this film visually.

I don’t see *Viva La Muerte *as a film per se, but more as an art piece. I had never seen something quite like it ever before; its aesthetic, editing, and especially sound design were very unique, and fit the feel of the film perfectly. I first came across *Viva La Muerte* probably in 2022, when I first discovered the “Disturbing Movies Iceberg.” Over time I forgot about it, until I randomly found a copy at my local Barnes & Noble. I wanted to buy it, merely for the fact that it was part of the iceberg, but I decided not to buy it until after watching it. Anywho, I never thought this film would be the art piece that it is, until I started watching it. And honestly, I don’t really consider it visually disturbing. Yes, this is a very dark film, but when it comes to the visuals/scenes themselves, none made me have to look away (I don’t say this in an edgy way of “look at me I can handle anything”- I can’t.) When it comes to the subject matter, this is a very dark film (as I said). I feel that Christianity is not only depicted heavily in this film, but also mocked- something that, as a Christian, I don’t like, but I concede that art should not have boundaries. There’s symbolism all throughout the film, and many scenes left me wondering if they were “real”, dreams or imaginations. This is a surreal masterpiece. P.S. I very much dislike the content of this film, but I really like its art.

I bought the 4K Criterion version at Barnes & Noble so I had to rewatch it a second time. Still love it. 🍍🍍🍍