The Monkey, directed by Osgood Perkins, presents a twisted, comedic narrative centered around death and absurdity. The film opens with grotesque scenes, including a horse stampede and a lawnmower accident, turning mortality into a punchline. It juxtaposes a dark outlook on life, exemplified by characters like Lois Shellburn, who introduces the idea that death is an inevitable part of existence. Amidst the humor, the film cleverly explores anxieties about mortality, all while maintaining an entertaining tone that defies the self-serious themes of Perkins' earlier work Longlegs. Ultimately, it provides a humorous reflection on the meaninglessness of life.
Depending on how one wants to categorize ground chuck, at least two people in The Monkey are ground into it. The first is the victim of a horse stampede, and the other becomes a meaty mess via lawnmower.
Following only seven months after the premiere of writer-director Osgood Perkins' previous film, forbidding serial killer thriller Longlegs, The Monkey is the dripping, self-satisfied response to its predecessor's dreaded self-seriousness.
'Everybody dies,' Lois Shellburn (Tatiana Maslany) tells her twin sons Bill and Hal (Christian Convery) after they've witnessed their babysitter's accidental demise, an unfortunate sacrifice to a hibachi grill, '...and that's life.'
This is a lot more fun than I make it sound. The Monkey gets a belly laugh out of the meaninglessness of life, treating the eradication of the human body like a punchline.
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