Abruptio (2023)

I feel as though this is a safe space and I can come clean before starting this review. I love puppets. I love all forms of puppets and puppet movies. I am borderline obsessed. From the worlds of Gerry Anderson, to Henri Xhonneux’s Marquis (1989), Meet the Feebles, Pili puppetry of Taiwan, and everything in between.

So, needless to say when I saw the trailer for Abruptio while it was still on the festival circuit I made a mental note to make sure I found a way to see this film. It was very reminiscent of Marquis in its use of masks on human actors and puppetry mixed in between to create an odd uncanny valley of a vibe. 15 minutes in and I knew I was going to really enjoy this.

It follows the story of Les Hackel, a down on his luck, recovering alcoholic living with his parents and stuck in a dead-end, 9-5 job. He wakes up to find an explosive device has been inserted in his head and is sent on a trail of misdeeds to keep from blowing up. That’s really about all I can say about the story without giving too much away. Its a not-so-subtle allegory on the over-arching control exhibited in our lives. But let’s be honest, you want to watch this one for the sheer strangeness of it all. It makes you feel uneasy seeing everything play out in the medium with which they created this. The story is almost secondary to the art installation, and I am ok with this. 

I was familiar with Jordan Peele’s association with the film and the fact he actually majored in puppetry while attending college in New York. What I didn’t know was just how star-studded a cast did the voices for this film. The lead (Les Hackel) is played by James Marsters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame, with supporting voices done by Shooter McGavin ... I mean Christopher McDonald, Rich Fulcher, Sid Haig (R.I.P) and even Robert Freakin’ Englund! I can’t help but wonder if Peele had some sway in getting some of these names attached to the film as it really is an odd cast of household names, at least in my house.

Visually the film does what it sets out to do. It’s odd and unnerving. The puppets, while well done, are on the low end of quality when comparing it to something like a “Marquis”, which I consider to be the master class for a film such as this. Their eyes blink via digital effects, which while noticeable fades from mind fairly quickly. Most of the violence is digital in terms of blood spatter and gore. That said there is plenty of practical gore peppered throughout. I may sound like I am picking on the film a bit here, and I guess I am, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work overall. The characters visually bounce between “Spitting Image” (1984) in their extreme characterization to more deliberate realism. While detailed, some of the props appear to be repurposed sex dolls used as corpses or nudity. The paint and details were also oddly inconsistent as well, which had me cocking my head in confusion more than a few times. At one point it is clear they had to remake a puppet for Les’ character and it really was jarring for a good 15-20 minutes of the film before reverting back to the original puppet used for the majority of the shots. There are some cool creature effects and creative green screen work that really ramp up the horror/fantasy they were going for. When it’s all said and done, it really is visually impressive in spots. I couldn’t help but think it felt like an early 2000’s Adult Swim mini-series that had been edited into a full-length feature. I don’t think this is a bad thing.

The story is also intentionally bizarre and feels like an episode of Twilight Zone or Outer Limits - or Black Mirror for you young folk. Without saying too much, there do seem to be some intentional David Lynch style “unanswered questions” deliberately left behind for discussing over coffee or beer, which I always appreciate in a film like this. It succeeds at creating what will no doubt be a cult classic. Which begs the question, what does that even mean anymore?! It used to mean that the film was either never picked up for distribution, possibly banned in certain regions and doomed to live on as a bootleg VHS or buried into obscure video store libraries only gaining traction through word of mouth. But with streaming networks falling out of the sky every few seconds, you will no doubt come across this in the wild whether you want to or not. So, the term “cult classic” really doesn’t have the weight or nomenclature it once did. That said, this definitely fits the bill of a cult flick as we use the term today. 

If you are at all into puppets, or just films that tap into the spirit of “cult” film, you definitely need to give this a viewing. It belongs on the shelf alongside Meet the Feebles, Garbage Pail Kids, and other experimental genre films that utilize puppets with adult thematics to create odd and unforgettable film experiences.