Gozu

Gozu is more of a surreal character study in the tradition of David Lynch than a true horror film.  Mike takes great delight in introducing what seems like a normal action film or a horror film , then suddenly twisting it into something new.  A driver named Minami (Hideki Sone) is out with his Yakuza boss , his "aniki" (brother ) Ozaki . To protect an innocent woman , Minami accidentally kills Ozaki.  While trying to figure out what to do with the corpse , then trying to find a phone that works,Ozaki's corpse disappears.  Now it's upto Minami to find him while dealing with encounters with all sorts of bizzare people and situations as he tries to do so.   Minami begins looking for the corpse with the help of a strange man whose face is half-painted white. Other,increasingly bizzare characters come into the mix , and the story gets weirder and weirder.  More than a parade of distorted and strange characters , Gozu's descent into the grotesque is above all the manifestation of protagonist's confusion.  As the film progresses , we as viewers get to know about Minami's personality ,in particular his insecurity about his sexual identity and his devotion to Ozaki. As with many of Mike's films, Gozu follows no singular genre or style ; moving freely between the characteristics of illogical comedy , gritty Yakuza thriller , unrequited romance and psychological horror story seemingly simultaneously.