Repo! The Genetic Opera
Media / 11/28/2008 6:43:30 PM
One of my favorite types of writing is cautiously dubbed; the New
Weird. It is a genre, a very tricky to define genre, that blends
elements of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi into a strange surreal soup.
As I watched
Repo! The Genetic Opera, I couldn't help but think that
the movie felt, well...weird. New Weird.
In a dark future an organ failure disease has ravaged humanity. But thanks to the benevolent actions of GeneCo, a biotech company, salvation can be had. At a cost. New organs are available to everyone, available on a monthly financing plan. Just make sure to make your payments, or else the Repo-man comes to take back your guts! All those transplants are facilitated by a painkiller drug, Zydrate, that is harvested from the abundant dead leftover from the plague. The result; a depraved culture squatting in city ruins addicted to vanity surgery, ever fearful of the boogie man come to tear out their on-loan hearts.
Now, if the rotting vanity world with a new breed of monster weren't enough to cross the genre stereotypes; Repo is a tragic rock opera. It's not a story with the occasional song thrown in for effect; every single line of dialogue is sung, the soundtrack is constant. Like hearing any album for the first time, it takes a while to absorb, but it's worth absorbing. With vocals by Sarah Brightman, a surprising performance by Paul Sorvino, and more sing-along with Buffy favorite Anthony Head, the music is engrossing. The soundtrack credits dozens of musicians from bands like Skinny Puppy, Love and Rockets, Jane's Addiction, Rasputina, and more.
The whole thing moves at a furious pace, visually textured with detailed imagery, and booming with hard rock, techno, and operatic strains. To help keep the story clear and convey the vital information Repo intersperses slick comic-book animations throughout the movie, adding yet another style.
Looking at all the disparate elements poured into Repo, it's difficult to define. It's not scary enough to be considered horror, although there are some great scenes of gore (at one point the Repo-man pulls out a spine and checks a bar code on the base). It's not just about the music. It's a strange social commentary on vanity and debt and big business. It's surprisingly funny, thanks to the antics of GeneCo's heirs (one of which played with an all too real irony by Paris Hilton).
It's very weird, but it's also very new. In a Hollywood that seems hell-bent on producing sequels, remakes, and safe for mass consumption PG-13 flicks, Repo: The Genetic Opera is vastly different. It's startling considering it came from director Darren Bousman, director of Saw II, III, and IV.
I caught up with Darren after the Chicago showing at the Music Box Theater and asked him a few questions.
K-W: So, extremely creative movie you've got here! Do you have any thoughts on why creativity on Hollywood seems to be diminishing these days?
Darren: Well, creativity isn't rewarded in Hollywood, or anywhere else really. It's all about the tried and true. People like reliability. McDonalds and Starbucks may not be the best, but people go to them because they know what to expect. It's the same thing with movies. It's safer.
K-W: What are your thoughts on the trend of PG-13 horror movies these days?
Darren: I think if you're going to make a PG-13 horror movie you have to set out to do it from the beginning. It has to be your intention. You can't take an R movie and edit down to a lower rating and have it work. That's a mistake. But if you set out to do it, it can be done.
K-W: Repo's world feels pretty extensive. It's a lot of detail for the story you tell. Is this all there is?
Darren: Oh, not at all. There's tons of stuff, back-story, and more, that didn't make it into the movie. I'd love to expand on it. We hope to do a sequel.
K-W: The primary story is a father/daughter relationship. There isn't a traditional love story, something you might expect from a musical. Did that just evolve or were you intentionally avoiding the "norm"?
Darren: Yeah, we knew from the start we didn't want that. We wanted something else. I'm much more drawn to different types of relationship stories. If you look at Saw III, you see a weird mentor/student relationship with Jigsaw and Amanda. I think there are lots of types of relationship that haven't been explored yet. Not entirely.
K-W: So, as a country we're in the middle of a pretty serious financial crisis, lots of people are losing their homes, due to debt. Here you've got a story where people are literally paying an arm and leg to their debtors. Coincidence?
Darren: Not at all. There's always been that element to the story. It's just a bit more obvious now. There's a lot of commentary on where we are as a culture in the movie though, not just that. Lots of stuff.
K-W: So, you're working on a remake of something unknown for your next project. Care to reveal what it is?
Darren: Sorry, contract won't let me say yet! I'll let you know as soon as I can.
Darren and screenwriter, Terrence Zdunich, are touring the country with the movie. For now, Repo: The Genetic Opera is only available in limited screenings in select cities. It's well worth seeking out and seeing in a theater with a crowd. The extensive sets and great music deserve a big screen and sound system to be fully appreciated. And if you want to sing along, the soundtrack is already available!
Go check it out, before the Repo-man comes looking to collect!
Jude W. Mire
Jill's p.s. You can sing along with your very own Repo! The Genetic Opera Soundtrack. Just one of the many Killer-Extras in the Killer-works Store.
