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Rating: We do not uncover anything new when we state that Eastern cinema in recent years has given a hard time and, often, surpassed the glossy and uninspired production of the European and American majors. A fresh, non-conventional cinema that still has a lot to say. The yellow wave has invested all genres, including horror.
"Three... Extremes" is a small compendium of horror made in Asia, where all those atrocities that strike the viewer directly in the stomach make an appearance, leaving them numb after the viewing.
It is divided into three parts, two of which are directed by two already great filmmakers, recognized internationally, such as Park Chan-wook and Takashi Miike, while the third is by the Chinese Fruit Chan, in his first horror attempt, a director not very well known in our parts, but who certainly does not pale in comparison to the other two.
The trilogy opens precisely with Fruit Chan’s work, entitled "Dumplings", which deals with the age-old issue that was once entirely female, but now also affects many men: aging and the ways to limit its process. How many times have we heard about charlatan wizards with their elixirs of youth in literature and cinema? Well, in "Dumplings", the recipe for eternal beauty is rather peculiar and is based on a fundamental ingredient. The overture of "Three...Extremes" is as disgusting, disturbing, and ruthless as one can imagine, and Fruit Chan demonstrates that he has all the credentials to make his mark even in a genre (that of horror with typically Eastern characteristics) he had never ventured into before.
Not yet overcome or assimilated the shock caused by "Dumplings" in which, particularly, some sounds are so revolting that it is recommended to watch it on an empty stomach (are you familiar with that not-so-pleasant sensation when listening to that shrill sound an object makes when scratched against a blackboard?) that one encounters the viewing of "Cut", by Park Chan-wook. The impact seems soft and reassuring, but already after the first sequences, one is thrown without warning into the depths of human violence and madness. The main theme is very dear to the Korean master, namely revenge.
"Cut" slides away amidst the nonsensical actions of the main protagonist driven, as mentioned, by revenge against his prey, whose only fault is being too good and compassionate towards others, who, in a very meticulous manner and with attention to detail, recreated a movie scene to ensure that his captive could convert his goodness into hatred and brutality. The madness is accentuated by the very strong humor that pervades "Cut", which emphasizes the savage sadism that characterizes the second chapter of "Three...Extremes".
There is no time to lick the wounds caused by "Cut" before moving on to the concluding "Box", by Takashi Miike. "Box" is undoubtedly the least direct of the three and aims more at the brain than the stomach, but precisely for this reason, it is also the most unsettling. The many blurred scenes representing the past constantly disorient the viewer until they believe they have reached the solution to the final enigma. But just as it is within reach, Takashi Miike, as often happens in his films, with a stroke of genius questions everything and definitively baffles us, leaving us, without any certainty, alone with our nightmares.
There could not have been a better conclusion for "Three...Extremes".
After being strongly nauseated ("Dumplings") and progressively filled with anger ("Cut"), we are definitively stunned and left alone with our fears and uncertainties ("Box").
In short, a film recommended to those who still do not know what aberrations Asian cinema is capable of.
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