Naked Lunch

Where do you start with a film like Naked Lunch? I am usually able to decipher David Cronenberg's work to some small degree, but I had the most trouble with Naked Lunch than with any of his others. That's not to say Naked Lunch is beyond understanding, it just means it isn't easy. Cronenberg's touch is all over the film, from slimy creatures to sometimes-ambiguous, sometimes-weird sex acts (and sexually related imagery), the staples to subverting the world of mainstream film. The story doesn't really follow William S. Burroughs' novel per se, but does tie in Burroughs' writing of the titular book, by means that, however high he may have been, did not likely occur. Essentially, truths are included, but twists and additions cover them up, and at times you are unlikely to know what is fact and what is fiction (and this is coming from a film that features talking typewriters and drugs made out of bug powder). The film does feel like one long, bad trip, which I can appreciate, though a couple moments of clarity wouldn't have hurt. Naked Lunch is not Cronenberg's best, but you could do far worse in experimental/outside-the-mainstream films.

Genre - Drama (2.5)

Screenplay (2)
Acting (2)
Production (3)
Directing (3)