Yoga Hosers (2016)
Starring Lily Rose-Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp
Directed by Kevin Smith
Subjectivity is a quality largely lost upon modern filmmaking endeavors. Think about it… While we tout the art form of film as a bastion of creative integrity, as the medium through which artists have unparalleled freedom of expression to tell wacky stories which might touch on the subversive, the weird, and the fantastic, those are rarely the films which are provided to us. We live in a world of “four-quadrant” tentpoles, where “content” has taken the place of prominence where once was featured works of inspired madness.
In fairness, this isn’t an inherently negative reality; it is show BUSINESS after all, and money is what keeps the lights on and greases the wheels of the industry. All the same, it’s commendable when a film comes along that gleefully thumbs its nose at established expectations of what a movie should be, even more so when that film comes from a filmmaker who at this point in his career has the luxury of being able to tell the stories he wants to tell without the shackle of corporate oversight, operating beneath the veneer of true artistry in a business of monetary cynicism and bottom dollar thinking. That filmmaker is the legendary Kevin Smith, and the film is his latest endeavor, Yoga Hosers.
I have had the luxury of seeing this film twice now, first at Sundance 2016 and just recently at a screening in New Orleans where Smith himself was present; and I can categorically say that it is an experience that is best served with repeat viewings. A bonkers film from moment one, the story which, Smith describes as “Gremlins meets Clueless,” is in many ways an encapsulation of the prolific filmmaker’s entire career in the sense that it cannot really be nailed down to any specific genre, tone, or narrative structure. Its aesthetic is unlike anything Smith has ever done, pulling from a myriad of inspirations including Mel Brooks, the Satanic Panic, and classic rubber monster movies.
The easy synopsis of the film is that two yoga-obsessed convenience store clerks are forced to take on the “ultimate evil” when it’s discovered beneath the floor of their very own store, the Eh-2-Zed. It’s a horror comedy that isn’t scary whatsoever but utilizes the veneer and aesthetic of 80’s horror movies as seen through the pink bubblegum filter of a teen movie from the 90’s, existing in a Canadian landscape of characters which feel like something the cartoon kid from Twilight Zone: The Movie would dream up after listening to old Bob and Doug McKenzie tapes. And if that sounds weird, it is. And that is kind of the point.
From a technical perspective the film is adeptly acted and shot. The two leads, Lily Rose-Depp and Harley Quinn Smith, attune themselves commendably to their first significant feature film roles, utilizing their inherent chemistry as real-life best friends to add a lived-in quality to their on-screen personas. Since this film is a pseudo-sequel to Smith’s 2014 body horror feature Tusk, Johnny Depp returns as the Quebecois manhunter Guy LaPointe, sporting a French-Canadian accent thicker than his Alice in Wonderland makeup and seeming to be having a blast playing pretend in the film’s unabashedly silly, Saturday morning cartoon version of the Great White North. Prepare to be inundated with Canadian puns galore and more utilizations of the word “aboot” than you can shake a hockey stick at because this film embraces its Canadian setting to a dizzying and earnstly referential degree.
Continuing the legacy of makeup effects Smith embraced in Tusk, there are a number of fantastically gruesome creatures populating the film’s narrative, utilizing gorgeous practical effects and puppetry. While largely bloodless, Yoga Hosers clearly holds classic creature-based horror films in the highest regard as it slavishly attempts to pay tribute and likewise contribute to the legacy of latex-based horrors which graced screens before the advent of CGI and its uncanny valley-like falseness.
Oh, and did I mention that there are Nazis in this film? But not just any Nazis; what we have here are foot-tall Nazis made from bratwurst bearing Hitler mustaches called “Bratzis.” And if that doesn’t make you want to see this movie, I don’t have a much better pitch for you than that.
The truth about a film like this is that it’s not for everybody, as the reviews coming out of Sundance are more than happy to exclaim with vitriolic fervor. At the New Orleans screening I attended, a man even took to the microphone during Smith’s Q&A to say that the film was “objectively terrible,” an accusation that Smith responded to by graciously acknowledging that opinion’s validity and offering the man his money back. This is a weird and wonky film, lacking the polish that would accompany a production of more widespread commercial appeal. But I am of the opinion that this aesthetic is what makes the film particularly special. What Smith is attempting to do is not pander to any audience in particular. His goals are not monetary, his aspirations not for critical or commercial acclaim. The man just had a story that he wanted to tell, a story that perhaps nobody in the world wanted to see but he needed to express all the same. This is the type of artistry which has largely been relegated to genre fare, to low-budget horror filmmakers or exploitation films, stories which would NEVER be told in any other medium and are birthed into existence for the sole purpose of being appreciated by those who find value within their obtuseness. Such is the beauty of independent cinema. Its rough around the edges charm is lauded as a currency of value. With films held together by passion, fake blood, and Elmer’s glue, the stories which produce the furthest reach are the ones where the seams are not only apparent but embraced. Like a magician with a clear plastic top hat, the fun is not in tricking the audience, but in sharing the experience of faking the impossible with them by gleefully showing the man behind the curtain and reveling in the insanity of the whole affair.
This type of filmmaking is usually an act of necessity, the goal of young filmmakers hoping to burst into the industry by crafting something incredibly wild and subversive in an effort to some day work within the system. Smith was once this filmmaker, and Clerks was his subversion. Now, over 20 years later, the man is a geek culture icon who could coast on his name and brand for the rest of his life by being “the guy who made Clerks that one time,” a lifestyle decision which would certainly be less risky than making a throwback horror comedy aimed at teen girls. But still, for no reason beyond his own artistic gratification, Smith made this weird little movie, stretching his own artistry beyond any established comfort zone and telling a story that nobody would ever attribute to that guy who used to be Silent Bob.
Art should not pander to its audience, nor is it the responsibility of the artist to shoehorn his/her work to the appeasement of the masses. The filmmaker should be singular, with a loud and clear voice, his/her weirdness proud and apparent for the entire world to see, acting as a rallying cry, stretching across the barren wilderness of commerce, heralding the gospel that art is best served when its intentions are art itself.
I support this film not because it is stupidly hilarious (which it is) and not because it has Nazis made out of sausage (which it does), but because this is the type of filmmaking that the fan community should embrace, subversive and ballsy, a legitimate expression which pushes boundaries of the established order. Kevin Smith’s voice as an artist is at full blast within this film, showcasing a devil may care lack of self-judgement which can be found in the finest of his career’s works where the confidence of his words and narrative intuition made him prolific. Smith’s voice is that intangible quality which is singular to him, a uniqueness that cannot be quantified or copied and should be allowed to expand into the weirdest directions imaginable. With the third film in his “True North Trilogy,” entitled Moose Jaws, filming later this year, Kevin Smith is clearly in the business of making Kevin Smith movies, and I for one would have it no other way.
Kevin Smith is currently touring Yoga Hosers across the country, with the film getting a wide release beginning July 29th.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
