tolkienfan101-1
Miguel Coyula's film Red Cockroaches is something that is not for everyone, but for myself, it is one of the greatest surreal films I have seen to date. Besides the fact that the film is a tour de force of no-budget cinema, it is an involving and engrossing story that leaves more questions than answers for its audience when the ending credits stop rolling. The history of these characters is shrouded in mystery and dangerous secrets which makes the confrontations between each of them all the more memorable, adding to the drama and complexity of their relationships. Though there were parts I was completely confused on why they were in the film, these parts were far and few between. However, several of these instances were made clear and their place was justified after several viewings of the film. Red Cockroaches has a place of special attention on my shelf and Miguel's next film I am certain will even be greater than what I have just reviewed.
Cadhorn
The obvious similarities: sound effects borrowed from blade runner. The advertisements for the off-world colonies playing in the background.The subtle: the brother and sister falling in love before realizing they're related. Yet, somehow, i don't think they are related (father was a scientist for DNA21... perhaps doing some experiments with his own offspring), but they did grow up together... it's complicated. Definitely not as simple as: they're brother and sister, it's incest. Anyway, that reminds me of blade runner because, in the directors cut of BR you might get the idea that Harrison Ford's character (Deckard) is a replicant like Rachel, and probably of the same generation (nexus 6), thus sharing a lot of the same genetic material, practically brother and sister.Anyway, forget all about Blade Runner the movie, think more along the lines of the style of author Philip K. Dick. This is a thought-provoking movie. Shocking, funny, silly, scary... sometimes predictable and/or badly acted, but never dull.It'll be interesting to see what this director does in the future.
Hakan Elverdi
I would like to mention two things about this movie: 1) Although it had a very very low budget (almost none, it is said!), the director managed to create a unique atmosphere and a nice tension that keeps you in it until the end. Congratulations on this issue.2) You feel like cheated at the end of the movie. The themes that fly around the whole movie (future life, acid rains, DNA studies, even cockroaches!) and also the thrills that keep you interested (dream-like sequences, psychological aspects built at the beginning, etc.) all fall loose! All you are left with is an incest story told in a stylish way. I wonder why did the director choose the "future theme" for its movie, since none of its features fit into the movie or enrich it. Everything could have been set in today or even the past.Good effort and talent, but lots of problems with the story and cinematography.
dennis70
While certainly not for mainstream tastes, this feature debut by Miguel Coyula is outstanding from almost every point of view. Forget the $2000 budget. I really don't care when filmmakers say "Oh I had a very small budget, so please excuse the poor quality of my film" Not the case here. The filmmaker has created a strange menacing cinematic world saturated with lurid colours and moody soundtrack.Of course, this alone wouldn't be enough to sustain a movie. The story deals with a convoluted case of incest. It is essentially a movie that manages to turn a disturbing story into a fascinating (and even erotic) study of the human psyche. The influence of David Lynch is obvious as it is full of moments of "high weirdness" but Coyula's vision and sensibilities are unique. I'm sure he'll make great films in the future (that is if he's not seduced by Hollywood).A must see if you are into "strange" films. Many will leave the theatre wondering what the hell happened but I can assure you it wont leave you indifferent.