Cat Sick Blues – Between Discomfort and bizarreness
Cat Sick Blues (2015) is a horror film directed by Dave Jackson. As usual, and at this point, I think it always turns out to be a good move, I chose this film because of… drumroll, well, yes, the title. I don’t think I even watched the trailer; in fact, I knew absolutely nothing about the film, except that it inevitably involved cats.
No one really reads the plot when reading a movie review, but if you’re interested in a couple of key points:
Well, gentlemen, I recommend not reading a thing and letting yourself be guided by a title like CAT SICK BLUES. COME ON, IT’S COOL, BUT DO YOU REALLY NEED TO READ THE PLOT TOO???? Come on, I’m joking. Let me summarize it a bit with some highlights: disturbed guy obsessed with cats, cute girl with a very sad dead cat; the guy and the girl meet. Boom. Okay?
Finally talking about Cat Sick Blues
This film was a trip. By the way, a brief digression: just before watching this, I had seen I Spit On Your Grave (a remake of the 1978 movie), which didn’t convince me enough to write about it here on Horrornauta, anyway, I just wanted to point out that after Irreversible, I wasn’t really in the mood to see more damn rape scenes, and yet, it’s the third one that comes my way, and it includes a rape scene (yes, okay, I went looking for it with I Spit On Your Grave, but still, you know what I mean?). Let’s move on to the film!
Cat Sick Blues (2015) is a crazy trip. I saw an interview with the director where he said he was inspired by the film “Gozu (2003)“, and the aspect that he took the most was “making people laugh while feeling uncomfortable”, and that’s exactly the phrase I would use to describe this film. It’s absurd, but it’s fantastic. I don’t agree with some who say this film has slow parts: I watched it all in one go, and it kept me on edge the whole time. I was there all the time trying to figure out what would happen next, hoping to guess, but almost always finding myself surprised by the choices that were actually made. For me, a film that can’t be predicted is a successful film, and it’s something I sincerely appreciate. I like thinking, “where the hell is the plot going in this direction,” “how will it turn out,” “what else can it do to surprise me.”
I’m sorry but I was won over by Cat Sick Blues
There are a couple of things I liked about the film, starting with the basics: The Plot: Come on! The plot is extremely weird, very original and strange. Just reading it makes you curious. The protagonist: Disturbingly well done. Andrew, the director’s collaborator, practically said he took a lot of inspiration from himself for the role of Ted. (Well, guys, you decide how to take this statement). The obsession with wanting to “become” his cat made me think of animal roleplay.
I find the disturbed side of the protagonist very well executed (the “best” part, perhaps the most successful, is when he obsessively loops the most violent scene in the video – not too far from us, right?). And not too far from us are the different realities represented in the film, there are various insights, different jabs: the girl who makes money by turning her cat into a web star, the obsessive attachment to our pets, the desensitization of internet people to violence (like the reaction videos to the protagonist’s rape – spine-chilling), pain, and disturbance as a means of entertainment (oh boy, I feel implicated). All quite current themes that I didn’t mind at all. In addition, we have: a disturbing initial soundtrack.
The film is low budget, it doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, but I honestly think I’ve already added it to my favorites list. There are flaws (of course), situations halfway between ridiculous and successful, but for me, the film is worth it.
Is Cat Sick Blues worth a short?
A parameter that I particularly consider when watching a film is how much it will buzz in my head: with Cat Sick Blues, I’m sure it will. Fun fact: the director’s cat acted in the film 😉 It’s a film that I must say I recommend; it’s not for everyone, but I find it really well done, it’s bizarre, REALLY bizarre, but that’s already known, disturbing, unsettling, a good base of gore/slasher, the original psychopath… that’s the right mix, guys.
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