Bad Boy Bubby (1993)

Bad Boy Bubby (NR) - Review

"If You See Kay"

A 35 year old man with mental issues, trapped his whole life in a single room by his sexually abusive mother, breaks free and enters into modern Australia with a suitcase and a knack for immitation.  He finds murder, love, jail, atheisim and rock n' roll in this exceptionally experimental film from director/screenwriter Rolf De Heer.

Bubby is brought to life by Aussie actor Nicholas Hope, and what starts off so offputting and strange miraculously becomes welcome and charming.  Bubby is basically a kid at heart (and in brain), and as he starts to adjust to his environs and finds friends we can root for him and his adventures in our adult world (stick with it cat lovers).  It's a world brought to life by over 30 individual cinematographers, who scene by scene and completely without input from each other depict Bubby's mercurial emotions (it's not as jarring as it sounds).  Speaking of sounds, those were recorded to give insight into Bubby's world view too (the mics were worn by the actor over each ear and are played back in stereo from his perspective only).  Both of these experimental (and highly professional) audio/video tricks are not glaringly obvious to viewers but lend an unique presence to the film by allowing the A/V to protray the moods and emotions of Bubby that he himself, stunted as he is, is unable to show.

Bad Boy Bubby is a fascinating character study which goes happily into the dark corners of religion, euthenasia, sub cultures and the handicapped that most films would be too scared to touch with a 100 foot Shrimp boat. An authentic and purely Australian Art film, BBB deserves more attention than it's current Weirdo Film Cult status, but due to that same status is safely off the radar from censors and when watched Bubby is a pleasant surprise-shock to the bored old system.

7.5 Rolls of Shrink Wrap out of 10 (GOOD)