I first discovered this film as a trailer on the Pre-Cert release of 2019: After the Fall of New York. It looked strange and interesting. I like strange an interesting. Sure enough when I watched the full film I found it strange and interesting and liked it.

Being as this film is a little obscure, it's worth me telling you what it's all about. This might take a while as there's quite a lot going off in it. And it usually takes me far too long to tell you about all the bits of a film's plot that I consider interesting.

Right. It's set in early 80s New York around the underground new wave scene where everyone looks like David Bowie in the Ashes to Ashes video. Spectacular clothes, incredible hair, striking make-up. They're all sexually promiscuous and don't really care who it is they're getting off with, sexes don't really seem to matter too much and androgyny is the in thing. They also do drugs. Lots of drugs. Of many different kinds. A tiny space alien arrives in a flying saucer no bigger than a dinner plate and sets to work feeding on the opiates in the heroine that many of them are using. This alien is seemingly invisible or so small it goes unnoticed. It is not a conventional life form as we would know it. It is only ever represented on screen by peculiar chromatic special effects. And only then when it feeds. It discovers that it can feed on a chemical in the human brain released on orgasm and when it feeds on it, the person dies. It mainly follows around the character Margaret (who is depicted on that image up there) who is sexually exploited by just about everyone. This then gives her something of a god complex thinking that she has some power to kill those who do exploit her in this way.


Margaret, yesterday


But that just doesn't really fully sum up the film. It's too complex for that. I'd say the main theme is playing on the exploitation element. Pretty much everyone is exploiting everyone else in some fashion. The alien exploiting this youth culture which is in turn exploiting the heroine to achieve their highs and they exploit each other for sexual gratification. There's many others exploiting as well as there are fashion people exploiting this culture to make money, one tries to interview Margaret and exploit her for a sensational story of good girl gone bad.

There's a side plot I've not mentioned either which also features exploitation. A german scientist knows of the aliens and has been tracking them around the world. He mainly serves as exposition to explain the alien and its methods. He tries to find somewhere to study the behaviour of the alien and receives some hospitality from a woman in an apartment block over from Margaret. So he sets up and watches things from there. She tries to exploit him for her sexual gratification but in effect he is the one truly exploiting as he receives her hospitality to his benefit but she receives little in return.



Then there's the character Jimmy played by the actress who plays Margaret. A pretty loathsome character, quite obsessed with drugs and who does little else other than being obnoxious to people and Margaret in particular. But at the same time they seem to share a strange relationship. They hate each other yet can't help being attracted to each other. It's a significant role in showing the androgynous nature of the time but to be honest I'm not sure what to say about it. I can't seem to quite form the thoughts. It's like the other side of the coin to Margaret or something. It is an important role but being as I'm useless, I'm not entirely sure how.

A brilliant point in the film is Margaret's Monologue. After a few people witness a couple of deaths from the alien at a fashion shoot she delivers a great speech about her life. How so many people have told her what would happen. How so many have had her life mapped out for her. But it's never happened that way. It's an insight into the small town girl goes to the big city to try and make it big but just ends up being trodden on by people. She's never seemed to escape it but now she'd finally achieved some power by killing those who sexually exploit her. It's a moment of madness at the same time. She's clearly become quite deranged by everything that has happened. It's also a great scene as she puts on the glow in the dark make up making herself look very much like the face mask that has been hanging on the wall throughout the film.



The Face Mask, also yesterday


It also speaks again of the preconceptions people have. That looking a certain way means something. Even so far as being a pretty girl means you have to attract men and be successful. Margaret talks about preconceptions with a photographer fairly early in the film. He's her old college professor who is disappointed at the way she's turned out. He asks why she has to wear such ridiculous costume but points out that everyone wears a costume, largley unknowingly, but she knows her clothes are costume. Suggesting that his wearing of blue jeans stood for peace, love and sexual freedom in the 60s and his wearing of a suit now is to represent how he's a grown up professor. We try to wear something to say who we are but her statement is of no statement, just costume.

With this being set in the New Wave culture there's plenty of sounds from the time. Some performance art in the form of the Me & My Rhythm box song performed in the nightclub by the obnoxious drug dealing Adrian who also seems to be Margaret's main lover. The soundtrack is very much worthy of interest. A peculiar disjointed electronics and samples made with the Synclavier sampler (among other things). It's unique and incredible. Enhancing the film tremendously. Making things even more otherworldly and slightly disturbing.

It's not a film for the faint of heart or easily offended. Or even those who might be offended in an average capacity. It's quite unpleasant with the rape and bad language and drug taking. But if you can take it, it's undoubtedly an experience you'd never forget. I've watched it twice now and love it.

I could go on about this all day and never really truly express why I think it's brilliant. I can easy see why many people wouldn't like it. Still I'll leave you with the trailer which is largely just the monologue scene.

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