A true black as crude comedy gem made in 1984 by Japanese director Sogo Ishii, The Crazy Family follows a seemingly close knit family as they settle into their new suburban home.
At first we see a harmonious unit at peace, but things change quickly as Katsukuni starts to believe spouse and siblings are subject to a creeping sickness that he fears will destroy everything.
For the first two acts, Ishii injects side-splitting humour into proceedings: along with the uproarious The Trouble With Jessica, it delivered the most laughs I've had so far this year at the cinema, but things do get dark (extremely dark) during the last third of this film: the hilarious sequence where Katsukumi digs deep below the floor to construct a basement for his recently arrived father is absolutely side-splitting, constantly complaining about ants as he maniacally lays waste to their dream house.
The introduction of grandad - good humoured stock characterisation at first - eventually turns into something else entirely. In fact, there is one truly disturbing scene to endure, and seconds after, two members of the audience left: may have been a case of 'last bus syndrome' but I think not. Those of you who have seen this film will know exactly what I'm referring to.
The Crazy Family is imbued with true Punk spirit; not least with its delightfully kinetic soundtrack and breakneck visuals.
Derby's wonderful Quad cinema was one of just 4 UK venues to play host to this film, as explained during an introduction by one of our excellent local film historians, Peter Mumford. The Crazy Family was a part of Quad's Satori Screen offerings which take place on a monthly basis.
In June 2024, the superb label Third Window Films will release The Crazy Family on blu-ray here in the UK.
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