Mandy (5 Stars)

This is the first film in the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival.

Each year the Fantasy Film Festival organisers try to put an exceptional film at the beginning of the festival to encourage the visitors to come back for the (ahem) less exceptional films. Last year the opening film was "IT Chapter One", an outstanding film in every regard. "Mandy" is just as outstanding, maybe even more so. It's one of the best films I've seen this year.

I went into the film with false expectations. The description on the cinema's website made it sound like a science fiction film. It's actually a supernatural horror film.

Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) lives in a cabin in a remote forest where he works as a lumberjack. I'm not sure exactly when it's supposed to take place, but Ronald Reagan is president, so it's some time during the 1980's. Red loves heavy metal and his wife Mandy. His life is torn apart when Mandy is captured by a religious cult and burnt to death in front of his eyes. He sets out to get revenge with the help of an axe and a crossbow.

The revenge isn't just on the cult itself, Red also takes revenge on a demonic motorcycle gang that aids the cult. They look like aliens from outer space, which must be the reason for the false information on the cinema website, but they're human; deformed, but human.

The film is all about atmosphere. The music is haunting and intense. The soundtrack is a mixture of the music in Robert Fuest's films and Werner Herzog's early films. Visually the film reminds me of Robert Fuest again, while the plot has similarities with David Lynch's "Wild at Heart". There also seems to be a nod to Nicolas Cage's version of "Wicker Man".

There are other impressive details to the film. The title screen doesn't appear until more than half way through the film, and the word "Mandy" is in the style of a heavy metal band's logo. Nicolas Cage's mannerisms degenerate into total madness as the film progresses, especially in the final scenes. No other actor could have played the role. No other actor can look so insane.

To be fair, it's not a film for everyone. My fellow member of the film group, Jennifer, who was sitting next to me, told me it's one of the worst films she's ever seen. The film's sheer madness overwhelmed both of us, but it made me love the film while it made Jennifer hate it.