Weird, creative, and all-around audacious, “Mr. K” is a cinematic enigma, a strange and surreal journey into the unknown where the ordinary becomes unsettlingly abstract. Embracing the eerie strangeness like a love triangle between Kafka, Kubrick and Lynch, writer / director Tallulah Hazekamp Schwab crafts a unique blend of horror, science fiction and gothic tragedy. This isn’t a film that will resonate with everyone, but those ready for a hallucinatory challenge are in for a treat.
The film tells the story of the completely ordinary traveling magician Mr. K (Crispin Glover) who, after a disastrous show, checks into a decaying hotel that no one seems to ever leave. Faced with a crowd of highly secretive, intimidating residents and lodging that feels as though it is alive, Mr. K becomes convinced that the hotel is not only just physically oppressive, but is metaphysically inescapable.
The story’s abstract complexity can sometimes be frustrating, but Schwab’s direction is nothing short of perfection. She knows how to direct her actors (even their most subtle actions reveal layers of character), and her visual eye is terrific. Schwab’s control over the film’s surreal tone is impressive, as she never lets it veer too far into chaos while still keeping the mystery engaging. Every frame feels intentional, crafted to immerse the viewer in this otherworldly existential experience.
The set design is an astonishing companion, with every little detail and every modest movement playing an important part in giving the film a strong, haunting sense of place that feels alive with secrets and oddities.
Glover, in what is one of the top performances of his career, is perfectly cast as an ordinary man trapped in extraordinary circumstances. His performance is richly layered and subdued, and his persona is right at home in an increasingly bizarre world. He creates a portrait of isolation that carries a sinking feeling and foreshadows what is to come.
Schwab steadily keeps a surreal and claustrophobic atmosphere throughout her film, using strategically placed nautical sounds and sinister symbols scattered throughout. These hints of entrapment create a great deal of unease. The hotel itself becomes its own character here, a setting designed so absurdly labyrinthine that it becomes something out of a nightmare.
Audiences who prefer straightforward or literal films are going to become irritated more quickly than others, especially because the narrative provides no easy answers. This is a project that revels in ambiguity, symbolism, and is open to interpretation.
Offering a fresh and bold experience born from creative vision, “Mr. K” is a deeply original piece of filmmaking that cordially invites the audience to get lost in its weirdness.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 