Domiziano Cristopharo once again packs a cinematic gem in full compliance with his unconventional artistic style, distancing himself even further with this Red Krokodil from the expectations of the general public, and he does so by unleashing his experimental flair.
Red Krokodil is a revealing film, anticipating a common problem that in recent years has been spreading like wildfire among the most disadvantaged drug addicts, first in the East and now in Europe as well.
Krokodil is a very dangerous drug that has found widespread use because of the ease with which it can be made. Its effects are devastating because, in addition to the high addiction to which it forces those who use it, it permanently compromises the psyche and physique. Among the lethal effects of this substance is the desquamation of the skin (hence the name krokodil-coccodile), which then leads to necrosis of the muscle tissues and thus to death.
Red Krokodil is Cristopharo's personal vision of purgatory, which with this inaugurates a trilogy, as yet unfinished, whose Hell instead is represented by the new film Doll Syndrome, currently in post-production.
The place of transition, however, this time is not an imaginary afterlife but rather the stark reality of life that hypothetically leaves the doors open to hell or heaven; to liberation, whatever that may be.
Thus, the work's protagonist lives in a parallel reality, in a world to which he is estranged and toward which he reciprocates through his suffering and his condition of total denial. His tottering, more dead than alive, within four walls, is a metaphor for his discomfort, his estrangement from social life from which he seems to have no claim and in which he has no interest.
Crushed by his own feelings and conscious of his degradation, man gives himself elusive dreams in which he imagines living free, at one with nature. Likewise, he feels love not only for life itself but also for humankind, forcing himself to practice auto-eroticism to make up for the affection he has been denied. The soft toy he holds tightly in his arms is the very emblem of his awareness, of his suffering, which he would like to annihilate in order to immerse himself in lost childhood innocence.
Unfortunately for him, Cristopharo beats hard and continues to deny him any glimmer of happiness and spiritual rest, likewise alienating the viewer from any positive outlet, to the point of bending him to the will of emotions such as sadness and fear and recognizing the addict as a modern martyr. Any audience criticism of the world of drug addiction is soon annihilated just as there is no room for feelings such as disgust and shame. The work aims to raise awareness of diversity and bring respect for it. For this reason it would deserve full promotion for educational purposes, among others.
Red Krokodil is a stand-alone work that is difficult to digest and cannot be understood as cinema in the broad sense. From this in fact the divertissement is excluded and rather forces the viewer to deep thinking and to observe the world of drug addicts in a new light, almost as if it were a documentary with a poetic aftertaste and imbued with meaning.
A modern icon of independent art-house cinema, the film cost just 1,000 euros, financed fifty-fifty by the director and lead actor Brock Madson. Its making, on the other hand, took only 10 days.
The actor himself, currently a photomodel, has been a victim of hard drug addiction in the past which makes him highly believable in the role. His acting qualities and his ability to dominate the stage, alone, for about 80 minutes, certainly deserve him much attention in the film world.
Red Krokodil is an outstanding work, not only because of its anticipatory theme and its success despite a meager budget but also because of the very strong screenplay resulting from the ingenuity of Francesco Scardone, a young man from Campania in his early twenties.
The music by Alexander Cimini, a valuable collaborator of the director, then lavished sentiments throughout the time frame in which we witness the dissipation of the protagonist's human nature.
Domiziano Cristopharo has imbued this work with his personality but also his artistic background by staging a renewed figure of Christ (see references to Andrea Mantegna's The Dead Christ), understood as a martyr to be immolated to today's society. Therefore, this film brings to mind Marina De Van's more intimate cinema, from which, however, she eradicates its light in order to imprint on the meaning of inner suffering.
Red Krokodil has been granted a VM14 censorship visa and enjoys a theatrical distribution thanks to Independent Distribution. As such we feel compelled to recommend it to both the very young and people of all age groups. Of course, we recommend it only to sensitive and noble-minded people.
