Dining with Cronenberg - Naked Lunch

I felt like a change in my diet so I had myself some Naked Lunch last night.

I will not talk about how much of Burroughs's life and novel had Mr. Cronenberg put into this film as you can all google and search through Wiki but I would like to tell a few things about the movie itself and its components.

First of all things I noticed was how wonderful the photography of this movie is. Live colors, saturated, deep. Warm hues, with squishy feel of baby cashmere. Things looking like things, not props, having weight and real feel of mushy lines not being absurdly surrounded by contrast.

Wonderful lighting.

Bunch of exterminator guys sitting around the table and every one beautifully lit around the eyes as they come into the focus of the camera. I almost started to cry when I saw Justin Louis (he was so young!).

Peter Weller, my God! He is astonishing!

With wis paperthin see-through skin and glassy, bulging eyes ready to pop out of their sockets he is the Junky Incarnate, avatar of Addiction God.

His confusion is so consuming, his pain so palpable.

And then, Julian Sands.
This is a face that launched a thousand ships. A voice so soothing it could convince you there is no hope, there never was any and never could have been.

And the movie as a whole is wonderful and terrifying. Like a sticky nightmare you cannot wake up from because you cannot convince yourself that this is a nightmare and your real life is somewhere out there. Scenes follow one another and I find myself with trembling hands and holding breath. My heart is pounding in my ears. I smile. All is well.

The scene I loved the most is the desire scene...

... and how in that scene Yves has shown us the power and insanity of pure desire. He is cracked open like a fractured skull. He would do whatever, be whoever, pay a billion breakfasts and give his heart on a plate just to get what he wants.

To understand. To have. To own.