Fantasia Film Festival 2026 has plenty of new films to check out, but I always manage to find a hidden gem from the past. This time, I made a beeline to see Gozu (2003). I’m a huge fan of Audition, and jumped at the opportunity to engage with more of Takashi Miike’s work. Every time I watch his films, two things remain true: I will be disturbed, and I won’t suffer from boredom. With every new entry I experience from his catalogue, a new disturbing image is seared into my memories to represent that experience. This film has imprinted several images on my brain. After seeing Gozu, I need every serving spoon to have a background check prior to use. I won’t be able to look a cow in the face for years, and I’ll likely refuse anything complimentary at a restaurant.
A Wild Time Was Had
Gozu starts as a crime film, but quickly turns into a gooey, nightmarish mystery. The film follows Minami (Yuta Sone), a Yakuza member ordered to kill his brother, Ozaki (Show Aikawa). Things don’t go as planned. If you like weird flicks, Gozu is worth watching, but be prepared for confusion and chaos.
The film starts with a gang meeting and dog murder (sorry for the pet lovers out there). Within the first five minutes, I knew that Gozu was going to be out of control. Although I saw Ozaki swing a dog by the tail, helicopter-style outside of a restaurant in broad daylight, nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to experience. Shortly after, we learn that the boss wants Ozaki dead because he is clearly unwell (I agree!). Before Minami can make a decision, his brother appears to be dead after a strange encounter with a driver. Once Minami makes a stop in a strange town, the body goes missing. The film continues to follow him on his search for his brother’s body.
This journey feels incredibly surreal because of the interactions Minami has with the town’s folk. He is clearly poisoned in a restaurant, but the staff won’t acknowledge it. The dialogue from the other characters is often repetitive. They almost seem like NPCs in a video game. He goes to an inn where the innkeeper is pushing breast milk. She also has a weird relationship with her brother, which seems to be popular in this film’s universe. The social interactions had my eyebrows firmly knitted together.
Girl, What?
There is also a dream sequence that features a humanoid creature with a cow head. Words won’t do it justice; you’d have to witness it. I thought the movie would spend its runtime trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Minami’s brother. However, we find Ozaki in a completely different state, which is never explained. Gozu forces viewers to roll with the confusing punches and the incestuous sibling relationships. It’s more about the experience than the exact plot points.
If viewers aren’t ensnared by the strange imagery or the fever-dream-like character interactions, the ending is sure to leave a lasting impression. There’s a “boss battle” that is sure to make you look at spoons and ladles differently. Afterwards, the scene gets erotic (let’s not forget these are siblings) until it becomes incredibly bizarre! There is no explanation of how this ending is possible, but Gozu makes you throw out the rules. It isn’t like any film I’ve seen before, and I certainly won’t forget it. If you’re a fan of Miike’s work, it’s worth adding to your list.
