Kuso Lives Up to Its Intent of Being the Grossest Film Ever Made

The draw for many people to the film Kuso will undoubtedly be to see if it lives up to its hype of being “the grossest movie ever made.” Indeed, the directorial debut by electronic producer Flying Lotus, here going by the mononym Steve, does: This is definitely a disgusting film. Audience members will exit the theater for the bathroom, look away in revulsion, or be offended. But if you can stomach the grotesqueness of it all, you might find it’s also the most creative, out-of-the-box movie you’ve seen in years, with plenty of comedy—and something to say, too. (Quick disclosure: I appear as an extra in the first two minutes—and I’m freakin’ proud of it.)

Kuso (which is Japanese for shit) earns its reputation by including plenty of revolting, viscous fluids such as semen, feces and vomit, as well as talking boils, insects, fart noises and strange perversions (in the future, alien porn will be a thing). The film’s narrative flows in a freewheeling, psychedelic manner from one vignette to another, orbiting around the denizens of post-apocalyptic Los Angeles after an earthquake. Some of them include a brother and sister who enjoy rough sex, a schoolboy who discovers a monstrous organism in the forest, and a woman (rapper The Buttress) hanging out with her interdimensional friends (one of them voiced by Hannibal Buress) while also running from her obsessive landlord (played by Tim Heidecker). Other cameos include Anders Holm, Zack Fox and Parliament/Funkadelic front man George Clinton as a doctor with a literal bug up his ass named Mr. Quiggle. There’s also animated interludes and experimental music sequences, such as one man’s fever dream of breasts floating through negative space (which, in turn, cures him of his fear of breasts).

Steve, who aimed to “show people the ugly” with Kuso, doesn’t let his camera flinch or zoom out when focusing on feces being handled, semen being smeared on lips, or an erect penis being stabbed with a steel rod. At times, it feels assaulting on the visual senses, but mainly it’s so straightforward and treated with humorous aplomb, you kind of get used to it. Not in a desensitizing way, but you come to accept it as part of the film’s universe. Add to this the grimy atmosphere, detailed production design, foreboding sound design and soundtrack (supplied by Flying Lotus, Aphex Twin, Kamasi Washington and Akira Yamaoka), and digital animation, all of which combines to present study after study of urban decay, based in a city that prides itself on its beauty and vanity.

Before making Kuso, Flying Lotus (born Steven Ellison) set himself apart from the LA beat-music scene by composing stellar electronic music with conceptual themes. Cosmogramma (2010) traversed through the planets with soul, hip hop and jazz influences, while Until the Quiet Comes (2012) dealt with otherworldly passages through the subconscious. You’re Dead! (2014) allowed Flying Lotus to sonically transgress mortality and explore the afterlife. Live performances during his 2014 tour even included a visual component, with him inside a giant layered cube that projected computer animations of virtual shapes and animations by Japanese horror illustrator Shintaro Kago. In part, Kuso feels like an extension of Flying Lotus’ penchant for matching abstract visuals to music, as well as the natural next step for the artist to explore ideas and concepts more fully.

First-time viewing for Kuso is a challenge for anyone, even for those with morbid taste and a higher tolerance for the body horror genre. But at each of my exhaustion points, something new and wildly disturbing would emerge. And that’s the affect the best transgressive cinema achieves: engagement to the subject matter, no matter how ugly or vile it gets. Just remember to bring some barf bags in case your viewing experience gets too vile.

Kuso was written by Steve and David Firth; directed by Steve; and stars Hannibal Buress, Tim Heidecker, Anders Holm, The Buttress, George Clinton and Zack Fox. Opens Fri. at the Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Also streaming worldwide on Shudder (www.shudder.com).