Final Short Film Critique:     Rubber Johnny    Director: Chris Cunningham    Production Company: Warp Films    Expected Rating: PG due to disturbing                                images    Distribution: Warp Films/Warp Records    Budget: <$30,000.00    Genre: Short Film/Music Video (Aphex Twin)    Release Dates: July 12, 2005    Website: http://www.warpfilms.com/    Trailer: http://www.rubberjohnny.tv    Review Date: October 15, 2005    Reviewed By: Jeremy Hanke

Chris Cunningham is a well-regarded special effects person and music video director in Hollywood. He has worked on the special effects for such films as Alien Resurrection, Alien3, and AI. His videos have ranged from his middle-of-the-road offering for Madonna with "Frozen" to his disturbingly edgy creations for Aphex Twin with "Widowlicker" and "Come to Daddy."

Most of his work seems to blend music video with short film exploration and Rubber Johnny is no exception.

It's definitely more in the music video range, though decidedly not mainstream. The storyline is supposed to be about a physically handicapped boy that is trapped in his basement by his redneck parents. I say "supposed" because the actual film narrative isn't really there--you just find this out from press releases. The only time you come into contact with the "redneck parents" is when you hear Johnny get bellowed at by a boorish brute who sounds like he's from Manchester, not Arkansas! (Well, maybe redneck means "from Manchester" when you're in Britain.)

	Much of this short film is actually a very strange... ...Aphex Twin music video involving a mutant in a wheelchair dancing.

Content
If you're expecting an actual short film, you will be disappointed. This is the sort of short film that can only exist as such if there isn't a music video category in whatever it has been entered in.

How can I say it's not really a short film? Well, a short film, by it's nature, tells a story of some form. It can be a very basic story but it is still a story. Compare this with a music video which doesn't have to tell a story and can rely on strange camera shots, accelerated frame rate, and snappy edits to musical beats and you will find that Rubber Johnny must follow the latter.

Now, is the content interesting? Yes.

Is the content good? Good is subjective in this situation. I believe the more appropriate adjectives are: strange, bizarre, and avant-garde. If you are familiar with Chris Cunningham's work and his fascination with the human body, then you will find that Rubber Johnny fits well within that collection.

If you like his darker work, then you will definitely like this film. I personally have shown the film to a number of people and have found the reactions to be completely varied. Many found that it was extremely disturbing and seemed to dredge up terrifying images from our Jungian nightmares. Others found it to be really cool due to the way in which it fuses image with music. I personally found it strange, but compelling. It tries out new things and experiments with odd ideas, which, in a short form, is a very good thing.

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