eXistenZ (1999)

As soon as one starts to interpret eXistenZ, the film falls to the ground as an utterly silly attempt at criticizing some sort of world-alienation. Provided that one does not go into that at all, one can still enjoy the film for what it is (despite Cronenberg's intentions): a funny, perhaps a bit tedious, story about levels of games, and, most of all, bodies that matter-as-matter. The seedy surroundings and Cronenberg's affection for eerie bugs make eXistenZ a quite entertaining film. As a meditation on the state of postmodern society - forget it. In the films, games have been developed so that they make out existences of their own. In the film, we see a process of entering games and exiting games. Gradually, the distinction between the game and "reality" becomes blurred. --- Well, Willem Defoe is fun. eXistenZ presents us with Cronenberg's post-human universe: a blend of technology and flesh, determinism and is-not-morals-only-a-surface (and what's-real-anyway-huh's). As I already said, let's not go into that territory. But, honestly: if I have to choose between the games versus reality-themed Matrix and eXistenZ, I'd rank eXistenZ as a better film simply because it is far less self-important and pompous than Matrix. Plus the bugs. Actually, despite their stupid quasi-philosophical mumbo jumbo, I like the way his films create claustrophobic atmospheres by means of a cinematic style that is rooted in the drab and the ugly.