Sometimes life really is bizarre. You don’t know what’s going on most of the time. The uncertainty grows and grows to a fever pitch every day. You just wake to a new nightmare. However, there are filmmakers who understand this, including international ones. And when it comes to rebelling against our new nightmare (i.e. Donald Trump and his colossal goons), it doesn’t always end in doom and gloom; there is some hope amongst the despair. Late French filmmaker Claude Faraldo’s 1973 wild satire Themroc is one of the definitive statements on authoritarianism and those who dare to fight it.
Buy Themroc Blu-rayThe legendary Michel Piccoli (icon of French cinema) stars as the title character, a bachelor house painter, living with his mom and sister, and leading a bland and colorless life. One day, after a bloody run-in with his boss, he just snaps and goes nuts. He wrecks his apartment, rebels against his bourgeois existence, and becomes a modern-day caveman, even inspiring many of his neighbors to do the same while battling police authority.
Make no mistake, Themroc is a highly unorthodox and disturbing comedy that actually reflects the time it was made (during the post-’68 riots) and is chillingly relevant now, despite having no real dialogue (except for constant gibberish). It explores the downfall of society and everyone in it. Yes, it goes into some icky territory (incest, cannibalism, murder), but it also feels ageless unlike most films of its ilk.
Despite being played by Piccoli, who gives a monumental and primitive performance as our title character, the guy is definitely a vicious anti-hero, one who will do anything and everything, and everyone around him emulates him, no matter what awful tricks he has up his sleeve.
Of course, it’s not for everyone. At first, you’ll be confused how it unfolds, but if you give Themroc at least one chance, then you’ll see how that Faraldo (who has a blink-and-miss it cameo at the beginning) was actually ahead of his time at depicting the evils of society and the monsters it creates.
The limited-edition Blu-ray release from the amazing folks at Radiance contain special features including an interview with critic David Thompson; a 1973 archival interview with Faraldo and Piccoli; an interview with critic Manuela Lazic; and a gallery. There is also a great new essay by Alison Smith, author of French Cinema in the 1970s The Echoes of May.
