Movie Review: Wrong (2012)

Some people may know Quentin Dupieux as a filmmaker, some may know him as a musician, but in either field, he has been a man willing to try some new ideas and deliver some odd work.  As a musician, he is best known as ‘Mr Oizo’, creator of Flat Beat, while as a filmmaker he confused many and divided opinion with his feature Rubber, about a killer tyre.  His film, Wrong, is similarly intriguing.

‘Dolph Springer’ (Jack Plotnick), is a man living, or trying to live, a regimented suburban lifestyle, although it seems he is barely holding it together.  With odd clocks, changing trees, an overly familiar pizza delivery girl (Alexis Dziena – Entourage) and a less than reliable gardener (Eric Judor), his world is a strange place, which doesn’t help his struggle to keep his balance. This balance is disturbed when his dog mysteriously disappears, and in his ensuing search for his beloved dog, his encounters with a range of eccentric characters, including the enigmatic ‘Master Chang’ (William Fichtner) and oddball pet detective ‘Ronnie’ (Steve Little – Eastbound and Down), take him in unexpected directions.  Nothing is quite what it seems.

While the synopsis may give the feeling that the film could be quite dull, it is far from it.  There are many good ideas in there, many of them beguiling or confusing, in a good way.  It has been suggested that Dupieux’s approach is quite like that of David Lynch, but I think Wrong has a much more easy going brand of surrealism, with a more playful aspect, than a lot of Lynch’s work.

There are a multitude of themes at play here, such as resistance to change, loneliness, communication, societal pressure, loss and the search for meaning.  Do you fully understand all of these ideas in relation to the characters after watching the film?  Probably not, but that isn’t necessarily the point. As the world is an odd place, for each of us there are different perspectives and pressures.  Of these themes though, one of the central ones would be communication and how we connect with our world, which is typified by the relationships between ‘Dolph’ and his dog, and his interactions with others throughout.  His sense of loss drives the film and hints at the motivations and reasons behind the way he lives his life, while his world view based on this affects everyone around him.  ‘Master Chang’, a brilliant creation, is a wonderful exponent of connection, love and relationships, coming into ‘Dolph’s’ life and impacting his view in many ways, very nearly stealing the whole film in the process, which is also a joy to watch.

The performances are good throughout, with Jack Plotnick doing a fine job of delivering on the ‘mundane existentialism’ points, amongst the surrealism, while not acknowledging the surrealist setup, unless contrary to the characters world view.  William Fichtner, as ‘Master Chang’, is the stand out though, who gives us a performance at another level, which like his character, almost steals the whole thing.  Fichtner clearly relished the role and his combination of calmness, oddness, and passion in the character of the guru is a pleasure to watch throughout.

Visually, there are a lot of fine touches, whether in the foreground or almost inconsequential in the backdrop of this strange world.  Dupieux likes to play with convention and expectation, which only enhances your enjoyment, as these aspects colour the scenes subtly, rather than in a dominant fashion.  Similarly, Dupieux, in his ‘Mr Oizo’ guise, in conjunction with Tahiti Boy, has created an intriguing and effective soundscape to accompany the odd images, which add to the overall effect.

If you go into this watch this film with an open mind, letting it wash over you, without trying to analyse it too much, there is a lot to enjoy.  Much of it will not make sense, but I’m not sure if it is supposed to, other than to suggest certain world views/aspects, or support other notions that are more important.  I think some people will have a problem with the surrealist nature of some elements, and ascribe some kind of pretentious underpinning to its creation, but that would be doing it a disservice.  So, while this is indeed basically a film about a man trying to find his dog, it is so much more than that, and transcends that initial premise to give you an array of things to relish.

Ultimately, Wrong is a great film, driven by some excellent performances, in a hilariously deranged world.  Dupieux is definitely a filmmaker to watch.

 

 

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