Deep inside everyone is a freak. We try to bury that part of ourselves. And most of us do a good job of sublimating. Instead of acting out our grotesque curiosities in front a web camera for the most scatological of behaviors, we build model trains, get into cooking weird and dangerous shellfish, or collect very strange looking insects. (Anybody see the opening of Buñuel and Dali's L'age D'or, or the more famous Andalusian Dog?)
But then there are those who don't sublimate. And that's what Lord of the Freaks is masterful at delivering to the viewer in a style that is both normalizing and provoking, and at times surreal. (Hey, Buñuel, you might like this movie if you were still kicking.) If you thought the Jackass movies were fascinating and curious, but a bit over-produced for the camera, this movie will take you on an authentic tour of force journey of the fringes of the human psyche - that part of everyone's mind that imagined doing weird things to one's self just to find out what that would be like.
Of course, human health is important. I recommend not following any examples provided and seeking mental health help if you feel inspired to emulate the subjects of this movie. But, I think it gracefully human that the filmmakers and the subjects shared so much and make us think about our own scatological tendencies. For this exhibition of the human fringe, and its entertaining and clever editorial style, the film should be seen. (Maybe not with a date, but with some friends you have known for a few years.) And after the movie, ask yourself, did I think these thoughts? Am I like these people? If you answer yes, get back to sublimating. Put that web camera away, and be thankful for all of the other things you can do with your free time that aren't gross or self-destructive. Does a web camera and the web audience inspire and permit people to do things that otherwise they would not do? Does this film exploit this tendency? Does the internet? Are the subject's complicit and willfully wanting this exploitation? You decide. The film takes you down a path that will make you contemplate these questions.
Meanwhile, realize that for as long as you find this part of the human psyche interesting and satisfying to acknowledge, you have the Lord of the Freaks himself and his skillful director and editor to thank for providing you a thought provoking message about the fringes of humanity.
