I watched this movie some time ago with a good friend of mine. From the buzz and hype I'd heard, I wasn't certain what to expect. I was told that, despite not having any real gore, this movie was 3 to 5 times more shocking than Ichi the Killer, a movie by the same director (Takashi Miike) and one of the bloodiest films I've ever seen. I'd even been told by one particularly hardened shock movie veteran that Visitor Q might even be a film to avoid.

The end result is that the film did nearly kill us, though through the wonders of laughter.

The theme of the film is about finding contentment through personal completion. The characters in the film each have individual awakenings in which they discover the things that are missing in their lives and then make changes in order to make themselves whole. A woman comes to terms with her maternal instincts. A man restores his sense of masculinity and of being a father through certain accomplishments. A young girl rejoins a loving family unit and finds acceptance.

A tender, romantic moment from Visitor Q.

Despite these heartwarming constructs, the movie is absolute shock trauma with a bloody croquet mallet. The situations are absurd, gross, vile and, almost magically, fun. We both about died laughing at a couple of different scenes. Really, I thought I was going to hurt myself. I'm surprised the neighbors didn't complain.

The extras on the DVD are a bit scant, with a brief biography of director Takashi Miike in scrolling text, liner notes, and trailers for the films Samurai Fiction, Freeze Me, Visitor Q, and Fudoh.

Visitor Q plays like a Japanese take on early John Waters. If you're into shock cinema and can find humor in the vile and disgusting (or at least, despite it), then this film is a must. However, this movie is not for the faint of heart--the squeamish beware!

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TRISTAN SINNS