3 out of 5

Director: Jörg Buttgereit

Similar to “A Serbian Film,” Nekromantik might be staged, in part, to shock, but actually works as a film because there seems to be some thought behind the construction on behalf of the filmmakers.  While “Serbian” was a bit more direct (in many ways), the exact point of Nekro is a bit harder to pin down, sorta making it more of a subversive affair than the blunt edge of “Serbian.”

Rob works for “Joe’s Cleaning Agency,” which seems to be mostly a body disposal unit post-police and whoever else.  Whether or not such agencies exist/ed in Germany I can’t say, but the casual way in which it’s presented (just another agency, then men acting like garbage men) seems purposeful, going along with the laid back approach given to views on violence and death in the flick.  The overall shooting style also reminds me of early Peter Jackson, that up-close camera that speaks of sloppy, childish films, but used to capture bloody imagery with a sunny soundtrack… it gives the Nekro an interesting edge while being viewed, again in contrast to the pounding, aggressive music used in “Serbian.”  It’s fortunate for Rob that he works with dead bodies, ’cause he also likes to collect pieces of said pieces (eyes, hearts, etc.) and store them in jars in his apartment.  Which he shares with his girlfriend, who also happens to dig his collection.  Maybe she bathes in water mixed with blood, maybe Rob has dreams / memories of a father figure showing him how to skin a rabbit (probably the most disturbing aspect of the film as I assume this was real footage of a rabbit being killed and skinned – an interesting “argument” for what’s acceptable to watch, as I’m sure the rabbit was eaten, so it acts as documentary to that process…).

Soon, opportunity provides Rob with a decaying corpse to take home, which he fits with a penile-protusion (over which his girlfriend puts a condom), and then we get some upbeat sex scenes of Rob and girlfriend and corpse, ’cause she’s into it, as, sure, aren’t we all.

But Rob is fired from his job, and girly hightails it outta there for greener pastures, taking the corpse with her, leaving Rob to slowly spiral down into depression.

That there is some overall take on nihilism here is apparent.  But mixed with it is some sexual imagery – swilling of violence and sex, group acceptance of violence toward women – that fits with the overall vibe but is less clear as to its intention.  Nekromantik is appropriately only a little over an hour long, and director Büttgereit seems to use all elements to command a vibe – the aforementioned music, almost all of the actors have pained/confused expressions, even during ‘pleasurable’ moments, and the colors are mostly flat and drab.  The Peter Jackson feeling comes into play with the black comedy elements dribbling in, and there’s an acceptance of this being a genre film – we get some typical horror concepts, like the promise of a sequel in the last shot.  So the drive and skill behind this rates this above simple exploitation.  And it is unique, which is where “Serbian” gets points as well – you will not have seen something exactly like this before.  But, beyond capturing my attention, it didn’t really direct me to any new thoughts on the themes, or force me into uncomfortable contemplation on anything, which is where I like to go with films of this nature.

A good fringe flick.  I look ‘forward’ to watching Büttgereit’s other films to see if it devolves into simple sickness or if he keeps the quality levels at least stable.