Tetsuo is a strange movie. The plot, what little there is, is simple. But the imagery is fantastic. This movie is a disjointed surrealistic, industrial nightmare. Or it is what Trent Reznor sees every time he closes his eyes.
It is hard to describe the plot without making this movie sound stupid. A metal fetishist (director Shinya Tsukamoto) runs into the street after shoving a steel cable into his leg. He is hit by an oncoming car. The driver of the car only called Salaryman (Tomorowo Taguchi) is seen the next morning shaving when his razor touches a small wire sticking out of his cheek. From that point on his flesh begins to be replaced by various machine parts. At first he tries to hide his condition, but quick just starts to fight the transformation and his own desires.
At one point he finds a woman and attempts to have sex with her, only to discover an important part of himself has been replaced by a drill bit. The metal fetishist returns from the dead also as a part machine monster and battles with the Salaryman until the two eventually merged into one creature.
Now, from that description the plot sounds simple. But it is presented in a mix of flashback, stop motion images and sped up action that you absorb most of the images and sounds while your brain slowly pieces together what is going on. All this to a heavy industrial beat.
The plot itself isn’t as important as the visual ideas this movie presents. And for the record, they are presented briskly at just over 67 minutes. The movie is violent and frightening, but oh so compelling to watch.
Tsukamoto manages to achieve some amazing effects and images with a startling low budget. As I mention above, this movie is clearly an influence on the alternate industrial music of the 1990s. You can see where Nine Inch Nails steals both little and big from this movie. It is also a clear influence on the Japanese horror genre. You cannot watch any version of Ringu (or the American poor man’s remake, The Ring) without seeing where this movie has had a clear impact.
What is the final message of the movie? That we have lost all connection to the natural world around us? That we have become completely absorbed by the consumerist culture around us? That we are all cogs in the machine with even our most basic urges turned against us? That you shouldn’t have sex above the slowly dying body of your hit and run victim? This movie is about all that and more.