Aside from the stunning surreal cinematography, the most striking thing about this one is that it is much less homo and erotic than other Scud titles in the BGP library. The Goldilockscore porn "Adonis" ends with a perfect climax (of course, pun intended) of the co-stars of the "art film" within the art film tossing crumpled currency on the titular whore after conducting their business. One spoiler regarding "Voyage" is that Scud affirmatively provides the audience a happy ending.
A BGP DVD collection of early Scud films will be the subject of a review in the not-too-distant future.
The "25-words-or-less" synopsis of "Voyage" is that it depicts the high-seas odyssey of therapist Ryo, who channels musician Jim Carroll in recalling "people who died." As in the Carroll ode, the subjects of the Ryo introspection prematurely met their ends. A spoiler here is that no one ODed on Drano on the night that he is wed or is offed by bikers in Rikers.
The following BGP trailer provides an excellent sense of the expert avant-garde filmmaking of this production with a clear Dali influence.
Our vignettes begin with a tale ripped out of the history books. This is the story of a young urban Chinese man who is sent to inner Mongolia to alleviate the impact of a real-life agricultural crisis. Thus guy not being the boy who cried wolf commences the copious body count of the film.
We then see a Jonestown-style mass suicide before meeting Ryo as he commences far-more-than three-hour tour.
Our subjects include unrequited love between an art-student and a model, an "excitable boy" and his caretaker who truly must take things in her own hands, and the truly tragic story of a self-proclaimed clairvoyant and her 20-something son. The latter concludes on a a well-presented note that reflects the Asian philosophy regarding prematurely deceased people experiencing eternal limbo.
The tale that is most true to the Scud spirit also is the one that is closest to the heart of Ryo. Lust-at-first-sight leads to a gleeful naked romp through the city streets before a night of passion. The morning-after further strengthens the bond between these boys in the band. We subsequently see that the one that is thrown back sometimes returns.
The aforementioned conclusion to "Voyage" is the epitome of wishful thinking that provides hope that dreams will come true.
The special features include an insightful and interesting "making-of" documentary and a presentation at the Chicago International Film Festival.
The bottom line this time is that Scud always provides provocative and stunning images. This expertise extends to presenting compelling concepts. The difference this time is that this one stimulates the organ above the waist more than the one below it. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
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