Mother Schmuckers Interview: Lenny and Harpo Guit

I'll put my hand on the bible right now and tell you right now that Mother Schmuckers will be the weirdest movie you'll see all year. Weirder than The Holy Mountain. Well, maybe equally weird but in such different ways. There's fecal consumption and bestiality and plenty of unshaven-body nudity. What am I even saying, it's exactly The Holy Mountain.

I'm going to plagiarize the Sundance's synopsis of Mother Schmuckersbecause frankly, I have no idea what I saw

Two low-down, rotten brothers named Issachar and Zabulon are starving and can't seem to scrounge up a meal anywhere. Things only get worse when they lose the beloved dog belonging to their mom, Cashmere, who kicks them out of the family apartment until they return her nippy little January Jack. Things are going to get uncomfortably bizarre with these two dopes on the run in the ruthless urban jungle of Brussels.

Filthy and yet oh-so-charming, the Belgian filmmaking duo of Harpo and Lenny Guit (who will likely never be confused with the other Belgian directing duo, the Dardenne brothers) are quite the Midnight discovery. Their madcap adventure goes gross Three Stooges. It's sparkling with energy, lo-fi visual trickery, and the ingenuity to make every creative decision equal parts surprising and ridiculous. Mother Schmuckers is sure to offend some—hell, that's the point—but it is destined to find cult comedy status.

Contains graphic depictions of animal abuse, sexual violence, and other subject matter that could be offensive to some viewers. Not suitable for audiences under 18.

Not suitable for audiences under 38, actually

Mother Schmuckers was all a bit overwhelming for my sensibilities. Its gross gags build on each other, each time becoming more shocking. To be clear, it started with pan-fried poop. What's even more shocking is that somewhere in its 70 min runtime, a bit of charm emerges. If you put your brain on pause and forget the horrifying nature of what you're watching, you see two very wildly imaginative young directors who are having so much fun. They are trying to shock you and to make you uncomfortable. They hope that you're questioning whether you should turn it off, but end up watching until the end. For these things, Mother Schmuckers is a huge success.

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