I watched Repo - a genetic opera about a year ago just before it left Prime, and immediately ordered a DVD copy - I was that delighted and impressed. When I heard rumors about Carnival naturally I was excited and as soon as possible I watched it.... huh? For the sake of clarity and fairness I will only be comparing this film to its predecessor, as Zdunich is a realm unto himself, and any comparison to other artists would be apples to nutmeg.
* * * spoilers ahead * * *
First the good. The visual aesthetics were easily on a par with Repo, quirky and ambitious and fun. The music, while not quite up to the standards of Repo was at least consistent with the overall milieu - overly colorful, occasionally discordant and yet somehow likable. The acting was generally satisfactory, occasionally excellent. Based strictly on visuals and sound I would have given this at least a strong 7/10
The not so good. Unfortunately the story lost me. Repo created a strong, vital and internally consistent world, where there is no black and white - just myriad shades of murk - and it worked fabulously. In Carnival, however, I was left theologically baffled, consistency confused and ultimately dissatisfied.
OK, the grieving and obsessed father, as a suicide, would qualify for Hell according to traditional Catholic beliefs (just as a point of reference, I adhere to no formal religion, but am not atheist), so while personally problematic as a sympathetic character, at least his presence was logical. The kleptomaniac was likewise an obvious "sinner" in the traditional sense, and so her presence was in keeping with the usual standard for Hell. The naive teen, however, was guilty only of what amounted to terminal stupidity - excessive trust in the face of perpetual betrayal. I for one have often felt that stupidity ought to be painful, but making the idea of "criminal stupidity" into a 'going to Hell level sin' just did not ring true for me and made the already tissue-paper fragile cohesiveness of the story dissolve into shreds of melodramatic lint.
Then there was the never explained issue of the little boy - was this the son, and if so why was he in Hell? The motivation of the Devil at the end was the only semblance of coherence in the latter portion of the story. Whether the child even really existed, was bait for the father, was a red herring or a diablo ex machina was never clarified. Perhaps it will all become clear in the second installment. I sincerely hope so, as I am rather a fan of Zdunich and this film was a bit of a let down.
* * * spoilers ahead * * *
First the good. The visual aesthetics were easily on a par with Repo, quirky and ambitious and fun. The music, while not quite up to the standards of Repo was at least consistent with the overall milieu - overly colorful, occasionally discordant and yet somehow likable. The acting was generally satisfactory, occasionally excellent. Based strictly on visuals and sound I would have given this at least a strong 7/10
The not so good. Unfortunately the story lost me. Repo created a strong, vital and internally consistent world, where there is no black and white - just myriad shades of murk - and it worked fabulously. In Carnival, however, I was left theologically baffled, consistency confused and ultimately dissatisfied.
OK, the grieving and obsessed father, as a suicide, would qualify for Hell according to traditional Catholic beliefs (just as a point of reference, I adhere to no formal religion, but am not atheist), so while personally problematic as a sympathetic character, at least his presence was logical. The kleptomaniac was likewise an obvious "sinner" in the traditional sense, and so her presence was in keeping with the usual standard for Hell. The naive teen, however, was guilty only of what amounted to terminal stupidity - excessive trust in the face of perpetual betrayal. I for one have often felt that stupidity ought to be painful, but making the idea of "criminal stupidity" into a 'going to Hell level sin' just did not ring true for me and made the already tissue-paper fragile cohesiveness of the story dissolve into shreds of melodramatic lint.
Then there was the never explained issue of the little boy - was this the son, and if so why was he in Hell? The motivation of the Devil at the end was the only semblance of coherence in the latter portion of the story. Whether the child even really existed, was bait for the father, was a red herring or a diablo ex machina was never clarified. Perhaps it will all become clear in the second installment. I sincerely hope so, as I am rather a fan of Zdunich and this film was a bit of a let down.