A painter is in the midst of an artistic crisis; he can no longer paint. One day he goes down into the sewer system of the building where he lives and finds a mermaid. The man takes her to his apartment and begins to paint a portrait of her--he seems to have found inspiration.
This fourth installment of the much-discussed "Guinea Pig" series, stands apart from the other episodes (whose sole purpose is to shock through fake snuff) in a singular way. Mermaid in a Manhole in fact represents the artistic vision of splatter and melting at its most explicit and ferocious. Dialogues are kept to a minimum, everything is based on evocative images of a visual poetry that whispers deep pain.
The painter's love, madness and art come together in a visionary embrace that transforms him into an excellent artist of pain. The stages of putrefaction of the mermaid, his muse of inspiration, mark the passing of time, while his colors are the essence of suffering being fixed by man on a canvas.
The film is entirely invaded by unhealthy atmospheres that well envelop this portrait of agony.
A cruel film dense with poetry that delivers an unexpected final twist.
The "Guinea Pig" series consists of: GP - Devils Experiment (1985), GP - Flowers of Flesh & Blood (1985), GP - He Never Dies (1986), GP - Mermaid in a Manhole (1988), GP - Android of Notre Dame (1988), GP - Devil Woman Doctor (1990). The episodes are joined by some making-offs of the series.
