Fans of quirky, twisted cinema are in for a treat. Bad Boy Bubby, one of the most controversial cult films of the 1990s, has just been given a new lease of life in on Blu-ray.
Awarded a Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, director Rolf de Heer’s cinematic experiment shocked audiences on its original 1993 release with its gritty take on deprivation, mental illness and incest – and had animals rights groups baying for Heer’s blood.
Actor Nicholas Hope is perfectly cast as the man-child Bubby, whose only human contact throughout his 35 years has been with his alcoholic, sexually-abusive mother. But when his 'pop' arrives back on the scene, Bubby kills his parents (no loss there I assure you) and escapes into the outside world.
Like some everyman – reminiscent of Malcom McDowell’s character Mick Travis in Lindsay Anderson’s If – Bubby encounters all manner of people who use and abuse him, until he finds himself praised for his alternative music skills in a new wave pub band.
This mad bastard’s twisted journey is worth being discovered by a new generation of film fans. Plus, its sick humour, quirky camera work, and immensely quotable dialogue makes it deserving of its cult status.
Describing itself as future-proof, the new Blue-ray Eureka release includes the movie and extras on DVD, as well as a third disc featuring a digital version of the film. Plus, for the truly dedicated, there’s a binaural headphone track, designed to let you hear the movie from Bubby’s perspective.
Anyone for pizza?
Out now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt7_bpfbN9U&fs=1
