Is Kuso really as gross as they say it is? And what about the music? We asked an eyewitness to fill us in
With its focus on independent filmmakers, Sundance Film Festival has a reputation for launching some of the more challenging and controversial movies in recent times. Irreversible, Nyphomaniac, even Kids had their world premieres at the event; industry buzz and old fashioned scandal meshing to create the kind of crossover publicity that studios dream of.
Despite the festival’s track record for keeping audiences on their toes and distributors reaching for their accountants, few filmgoers were mentally prepared for the premiere screening of Kusu, the debut feature from Flying Lotus.
News of mass walkouts quickly spread via the internet, while publications ranging from Variety to RA shared grisly plot points with prurient glee. The Verve even reached for the big one: “”The grossest movie ever made” it declared, with some finality. But was it really that bad? We got in touch with graphic designer Alethia Lunares who was at the screening to get the hyperbole-free version of the story. Feeling strong of stomach and sound of mind? The trailer is below.
What did you think of the film?
You have to watch it with an open mind and prepare the majority of your senses for hyper-stimulation. I personally was super entertained.
Which bits in particular grossed people out?
This is going to sound crazy if you haven’t seen it but there honestly is no context in the world that would make sense. People were super offended when a fetus was smoked like a pipe… I know [laughs]. For the most part though, people were laughing so hard cause it’s really something out of this realm that you can’t genuinely get offended by it.
Proud to say we survived Kuso at Sundance, the music was so good I could puke. ✨ pic.twitter.com/WFPAV0Em3T
— sirenita horchata (@alethialunares) January 26, 2017
What was the soundtrack like?
The soundtrack was, of course, incredible. My favorite part of the film. It was innovative with sporadic pattern changes and smooth tones. Steve curated the music so beautifully, but I expected nothing less from him. Amazing.
Are you a fan of extreme surreal horror anyway?
I wouldn’t say I’m a fan of surreal horror, but I’m open to ideas when executed as thoroughly as this was. I couldn’t really see what kind of people were walking out, but whoever left either had a weak stomach or didn’t take Flylo seriously when he said Kuso was a stew of nightmare.
Finally, did you enjoy the experience?
I enjoyed it as much as you can enjoy watching a man thrust his penis into a talking boil named Royal… which is a lot, believe it or not. There’s something reassuring about knowing that you’re not alone with your own fucked up thoughts and the fact that Flying Lotus is always able to translate that through different wavelengths is honestly inspiring to me.
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