88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Pinocchio 964 depicts the nightmarishly surreal adventures of an illegally manufactured sex android found abandoned by his former owner and rescued from the scrap heap by a young woman, Himiko. She begins to tutor him in the ways of the world as if he were her own child, but with his original creators closing in, eager to conceal his existence from the authorities, it is not long before Pinocchio goes completely rogue. The feature debut of film-maker and industrial musician Shozin Fukui (Rubber’s Lover) presents a raw, hand-tooled vision that unfolds with a visceral and stomach-churning intensity as a break-neck charge through a brutal and uncaring post industrial netherworld. 88 Films proudly presents this classic of early-90s Japanese cyberpunk cinema for the very first time on home video in the United Kingdom in a new HD scan. (97 Mins)

 

Views: I should really be starting this review with the line, 'what the actually fuck did I just watch?' but I think I got it enough to see where Pinocchio 964 was going. I think. I've had many experimental movies sent into my film festival over the years, but none of them compared to the absolute madness that this 1991 feature delivers. Was there a need for it? Maybe. Will I be going back to it soon? Nope. Upon researching Pinocchio 964 for review, I couldn't help but notice just how much of a division it had caused between critics and the general public. Perhaps had it been made as a lengthy short film – much like the directors own Gerorisuto and Caterpillar from 1986 – then Pinocchio 964 would have made a little more sense, but definitely more of an impact. One thing I keep seeing repeated is that it's 'an hour and a half of running and screaming', a similar quote used many times by those who watched my own directorial debut, Battle Of The Bone (2008). But that was for a different reason altogether...

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This manic cyberpunk piece tells the story of Pinocchio 964, a lobotomised cyborg sex slave, who has been abandoned by his creators due to his inability to maintain an erection. After making his way into the city and meeting homeless girl Himiko, things start to get even more crazier and soon, the very corporation who banned him, set out to kill them both! While she teaches him to speak and an intimate session releases something in Pinocchio, Himiko starts to abuse him – force-feeding him trash and shackling him to a block of concrete. But it doesn't take long for Pinocchio's memories to return. He soon manages to escape, making a run for it (literally) at high-speed through the streets of Tokyo as hilariously horrified members of the pubic dive out of the way. Meanwhile, Himiko herself has evolved and teams up with the corporation to put a stop to Pinocchio's wild ways. However, none of them release how much hell is about to be unleashed!

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Guerrilla film-making at it's finest, Pinocchio 964 was made over the course of 6 months, putting all members of the public in very awkward positions for many of it's city scenes. Main actress Onn-chan, which is actually a pseudonym created for the film, was initially a crew member until director Shozin Fukui convinced her to play the role about a week before production started. While it was quite the debut role, 'Onn-chan' never did go onto star in anything else. The same can be said for Haji Suzuki – the man who brought the character of Pinocchio 964 to life. Delivering an insane and outrageous performance as the wild cyborg with erectile dysfunction, Suzuki seemingly never went onto do much more afterwards. I'm quite surprised considering the energy he put into the role. Both first time stars are joined by small time performers such as Koji Otsubo, Kyoko Hara, Kota Mori, Tomio Watanabe, Anri Hayashi and others...

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If you liked Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) or Meatball Machine (2005), then perhaps Pinocchio 964 might be for you. Personally, I got a little bored. While I greatly appreciate the visual value of the whole thing – from it's gorgeous black and white photography to the comic book-style shots later on – I just felt that the film had been way over-hyped by this stage. It is, as with many of the short films by director Shozin Fukui before it, a wildly experimental piece where ordinary members of the public are subjected to these wild characters running through subways and streets, screaming, throwing up, and dragging large concrete blocks on chains. It does bring some unintentional humour with their reactions, but then again, is the whole thing not supposed to be a little tongue-in-cheek? Recently restored and released on Blu-ray by 88 Films, and gloriously at that, Pinocchio 964 is impressive on many levels and no doubt was one of many films from this era that went onto inspire the wave of manic indie-titles that came over the next 20 years. I've never done drugs, but this is how I imagine it would affect you.

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Overall: A visual mind-fuck that you'll either love or hate, Pinocchio 964 is one hell of an experience that's worth seeing once!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: New Interview with Director Shozin Fukui, Archival Interview with Director Shozin Fukui, Video Introduction with Stephen Thrower, Gerorisuto & Caterpillar Short Films by Shozin Fukui, Trailer

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See my unboxing of the 88 Films Blu-ray release HERE

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