X Is Y (1990) User Reviews

The bang-bang gang

[F Gwynplaine MacIntyre · 6/10 · 21 March 2003]

Richard Kern was an underground filmmaker who specialised in transgressive themes, and images that are violent and erotic at the same go. Like Kenneth Anger, who seems to have been an influence on him, Kern is less interested in coherent narrative than in presenting themes and images that will provoke us, shock us and ... possibly ... arouse us.

"X is Y" is a very short film, consisting of images of young women handling automatic handguns and rifles. The women's physical appearances and the overall direction are clearly intended to eroticise the firearms whilst emphasising the phallic aspect of the weapons. The film's title is not explained, but it apparently has a genetic basis: X is the female chromosome and Y the male chromosome. Apparently, Kern is suggesting that handguns are 'supposed to be' male objects, yet here are these very sexy and unquestionably female women engaged in the 'male' activities of gun-love and shooting.

"X is Y" features some thrash music by a band with the appropriate name Cop Shoot Cop. Kern shows some genuine directorial talent within his narrow self-appointed genre, and the women in this movie are very delightful to look at. I'll rate this quickie 6 out of 10.

Experimentation over substance

[StevePulaski · 6/10 · 30 April 2015]

Richard Kern's X is Y is a slight exercise in all things anarchic and attributable to No Wave, an underground cinematic movement in Lower East Side New York. It's a visual kaleidoscope and an auditory cacophony, as it shows a young woman (Tomoyo) showing off her automatic fire arms set to a soundtrack of thrash metal and repetitive busy-signals from somebody who keeps trying to call the phone number 666-6666. Combine this with Kern's predictably grimy visual style, filled with scuzzy production values and heavy grain, but ostensibly lacking an extractable idea (does this concern female empowerment? The power of guns?) and you have a short that, again, works more on an experimental basis than the basis of being a short film.

Starring: Tomoyo. Directed by: Richard Kern.

Another Cool Short

[jncr-96155 · 5/10 · 5 January 2018]

Cool music and decent looking women. Probably Kern's safer films.

Kern's most patriotic?

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 7 April 2016]

"X Is Y" is a movie by Richard Kern from over 25 years ago. If you know the filmmaker, you will know that most of his works are very short and very experimental and this is certainly true here as well. The film only runs for three minutes and basically depicts hot chicks with guns from start to finish. Near the end, we see an American flag, which I referred to in the title. All in all, it is a decent watch and the girls are amazing. So are the guns. But the story is missing completely. People who like the genre or the filmmaker more than i do may have a good time watching this one. I was mostly underwhelmed and give this one a thumbs down. Solid ingredients, but not a good meal.