Visitor Q (2001)

A troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writer:

Itaru Era (as Era)

Stars:

Ken'ichi Endô, Shungiku Uchida, Kazushi Watanabe

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview:
Ken'ichi Endô	...	Kiyoshi Yamazaki / Father
Shungiku Uchida	...	Keiko Yamazaki / Mother
Kazushi Watanabe	...	The visitor
Jun Mutô	...	Takuya Yamazaki / Son
Fujiko	...	Miki Yamazaki / Daughter
Shôko Nakahara	...	Asako Murata
Ikkô Suzuki	...	Sasaoka (as Ikko Suzuki)

Storyline

A father, who is a failed former television reporter tries to mount a documentary about violence and sex among youths. He proceeds to have sex with his daughter who is now a prostitute and films his son being humiliated and hit by classmates. "Q", a perfect stranger somehow gets involved and enter the bizzare family who's son beats his mom, who in turn is also a prostitute and a heroin addict...

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Plot Keywords:

mysterious stranger | cult film | incestuous desire | dead children | child murder | 

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Taglines:

Takashi Miike's most insane film yet!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong aberrant sexual and violent content, language and drug use

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

26 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Visitor Q+

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 7,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alphaville, CineRocket

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

(at around 59 mins) You can see the shadow of the boom on the ground when they are taking the dead body to the little shed in the back of the house.

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Quotes

Takuya Yamazaki: [to the Visitor, lying in pool of milk] From today on, I'm going to study. I have entrance exams next year.
The visitor: Is that so?
Takuya Yamazaki: Why did you really come to our home? You came here to destroy it, didn't you? I thought so all along.
[they smile at each other]
Takuya Yamazaki: Thank you.

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Connections

Referenced in Gozu (2003)

User Reviews

A vile masterwork

Visitor Q is hard to deal with, but I think I'd call this a masterpiece. This is an update of Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema. It's often compared to Pasolini's Salò because of its shocking content, but, plot-wise, it's virtually a remake of the 1968 film, brilliantly updated and moved to modern Japan. Teorema is not Pasolini's best film, but I do consider it a great one. It is a very simple allegory. Miike expands the concept even further. A family is falling apart, and a stranger whom nobody seems to know moves into their home and starts knocking some sense into them (sometimes literally). There are some truly disturbing things in Visitor Q that few people of sound mind and body will want to sit through. Fortunately, I am not of sound mind or body. If you can take it, the film can be extremely funny, as well. And I think it actually captures something truthful not only about the decay of Japanese culture, but also the rest of the world. It just does this in the most extreme way possible. Most will probably judge that it goes too far. I thought it was amazing.