What would you get if you took a piece from Begotten, mixed it with a little bit of Tetsuo: the Iron Man and sprinkled it with some bits and pieces of Mad God and Švenkmajer? Well, something like this would definitely be the result. Mécanix from 2003 is an avant-garde horror film directed by Rémy M. Larochelle, co-written with Mélissa Hébert. And just like Begotten, you most likely wouldn’t really have a clue what the fuck is actually going on unless you read the description first.
Mécanix presents its twisted story in something akin to a fairytale, where we’re introduced to what appears to be a post-apocalyptic world. In this world, the few remaining humans are forced into slavery by monsters, who seem to only fear one thing: the embryo of the universe, the origin of everything. The embryo is hidden within the last freeborn man, and it is the only hope humankind has to break free from the mechanic monstrous world they’re enslaved by. And yes, the world is filled with monsters of all kinds that often seem to have some kind of mechanism attached to them. Kind of like mechanic beasts where they’re part robot, and part rotting animal/creature. While most of these creatures look like something that belongs somewhere in the darkest corners of Hell itself, others are actually rather cute.
Visually, the movie is mesmerizing from start to finish, despite some of the scenes being repetitive and sometimes dragging on for longer than necessary. It’s getting its hooks in you purely by the oddness and surrealism, with a lot of different techniques used. It’s mixing stop-motion animation with live action, and everything is just so surreal, otherworldly and bizarre. The entire movie is done with a sepia-colored filter over it, which suits the visuals perfectly and adds an uncanny and almost filthy look to it. The soundtrack is often just as experimental as the film, fitting well with all the absurdities shown on screen.
Mécanix is a treat for anyone who loves surreal avant-garde horror movies filled with bizarre stop-motion effects and a constant what-the-fuck-is-going-on-here feeling. Too bad the director didn’t make more movies after this, as it would have been interesting to see what other nightmarish insanity he could’ve put on the screen. Who needs drugs to trip when you’ve got movies like these.
The movie was released by Unearthed Films, and can be found on several streaming sites including Tubi.
Director: Rémy M. Larochelle
Writers: Mélissa Hébert, Rémy M. Larochelle
Country & year: Canada, 2003
Actors: Stéphane Bilodeau, Julie-Anne Côté, Philippe Chabot
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0427580/
