The Samurai
Coming- out carnage
Release Date: 13 April 2014 | 15 | DVD Director: Till Kleinert Cast: Michel Diercks, Pit Bukowski, Uwe Preuss, Kaja Blachnik
This German
film is equally likely to impress, bewilder, or – depending on your interpretation of the subtext – affront. It centres on Jakob ( Michel Diercks), a rural cop who gets no respect from the locals, spends his evenings playing cards with grandma and, it’s subtly implied, is sexually unfulfilled. A wolf is prowling the area… and so is a Samurai sword- wielding bloke in a white dress, carving a swathe of criminal damage through the neighbourhood. The extended pursuit that follows transforms into both a dance and a seduction, as it becomes increasingly apparent that Jakob’s repressed urges have somehow been physically manifested.
It’s the sort of film whose ambiguity attracts some violently opposing readings. The intention seems clear: a celebration of ignoring the conservative societal forces holding you back and liberating the real you. But you could take away the “message” that men should eradicate their feminine side and embrace violence.
Either way, there’s some attractive use of red and blue giallo lighting, Dario Argento- style. And Pit Bukowski burns brightly as Jakob’s transvestite anima/ animus, flashing a razor- slash Alex- thedroog smile that’s as powerful a weapon as the character’s katana.
Extras: Commentary by director Till Kleinert, an interview with Kleinert, Diercks and Bukowski ( 20 minutes), and a behind- the- scenes look ( 10 minutes). Ian Berriman During casting, Michel Diercks ( Jakob) had to dance to “Into The Night” from Twin Peaks; his performance was the clincher.