Name: The Other Side of the Underneath
Genre: Drama
Duration: 2 h 13 min
Rating: 6
Cast: Sheila Allen, Susanka Fraey, Liz Danciger

Let's see, definitively avant-garde, British, absolutely no narrative, everyone's on LSD, it's 1972, a cacophony of a soundtrack, nearly two hours. What can possibly appeal to me in this film? As it turns out, NOTHING.

It starts out as nonsense, devolves into further levels of nonsense, the asylum throws out a mental patient, who in turn, aimlessly wanders the countryside, observing filthy hippies, doing all sorts of... nonsense, I think she's crucified? Then she returns from the dead (given that was even her... it made the cover, anyway), takes the very last fistful of psychedelics (offscreen) and performs with a bunch of freaks, which brings us to the abrupt thud of a nonsensical ending. Hey, this filmmaker is posthumously finally getting her due respect in the cult film world!

Ouch. I can't believe I made it through the whole thing, as there's absolutely nothing to grasp onto. I watched this as the fourth and final movie of the House of Psychotic Women box set, culled as one of the four very best in Kier-La Janisse's book of the same name. Granted, I really, REALLY dug the first two movies, Identikit, and I Like Bats (of which it could be argued the woman in it is not psychotic at all, she's a vampire! And it's a comedy! She isn't someone who THINKS she's a vampire, and behaves as one, she IS one). Anyhow, there's a severe nosedive in quality with the remaining two, with three scores/soundtracks progressively getting more and more horrifying.

Either Janisse is much, much smarter than I am, or the introductions she gives for each movie is a series of ramblings, and habitual tangents. I found next-to no light shed on any of these films. I gleaned more info in other supplements.

Seems like I've gone off on a tangent of my own. Oh, there's gotta be a bizarro audience for a film like this, and it ain't me. I can only describe it as grating, insufferable, and embarrassing. There's a rather violent fake-murder between two mental patients (in a basement, I guess?), with both participants clearly in outer space on God-knows-what, done to the tune of ("live") Britain's worst acid rock band. Hell, get in a time machine, travel back to England in the late 60's/early 70's, throw a rock and you will hit one. I'm sure finding these guys was one of the easier production tasks.

Zero point zero.

Extras: In surrealist Penny Slinger's interview segment, where they discuss (and show extended clips of) her career in film and photos, I was reminded of my years in school studying Fine Arts. The way they evaluated (and read in to) her abstract and surreal work was exactly like the art critiques that I so many times participated in. What can I read into this film? Ya freakin' got me. I'm sure there's some feminist messages to be found in the confrontational "psychologist" scenes inside the asylum, but the movie is primarily a series of meandering, random scenes.

Fun fact: In another extra, one participant reveals writer/director Jane Arden (who also plays the doctor) was drunk the entire duration (just guessing, she was an angry drunk), and all the women in the asylum scenes were fed acid. These facts alone make this film something I would have an aversion to.

The psychological drama subgenre features intricate workings of the human mind, emotions, and psychological states. These dramas delve into characters' inner thoughts, perceptions, motivations, and often involve complex narratives and emotional depth, aiming to engage the audience's intellect and emotions simultaneously.

Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Jane Arden's surreal take on a group of females in a therapy session.

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The Other Side of Underneath

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