DECODER (1984) directed by Muscha (August 27, 2019)

[Splatterpunk]

It doesn’t get any more arty or punk than Muscha’s DECODER from 1984. This West German film blends themes from George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984 and the writings of counterculture icon William S Burroughs in a proto cyberpunk milkshake laced with aggressively anti corporate and anti consumerist messaging. Not for the faint of heart, some of the piece’s more repulsive moments may compel some viewers to discard it all together.

Industrial musician FM Einheit plays a version of himself, disaffected audio artist FM. Disgusted by his peers’ willingness to participate in mainstream culture in the form of getting jobs at corporate/fascist burger chain H Burger, he gets the idea of psychologically manipulating people whilst pondering the intentions of the fast food restaurant’s use of muzak. Once he figures out a method to subvert the calming tendencies of muzak, he starts leaving tape recorders that play his carefully concocted sonic disruptions at H Burger, McDonald’s, and Burger King locations throughout West Berlin. The resulting unrest and violent illness is captured on security footage, and so FM is noticed by the corporate illuminati comprised of H Burger’s upper management, muzak manufacturers, and other menacing stuffed shirts.

This group commands their agent, Jaeger (New York avant-garde figure Bill Rice), to track down the young dissident and eliminate him. Jaeger carries out his duties, even though he’s not particularly enthusiastic about it. The obviously exhausted assassin is also distracted by his obsession with peep show girl and avid frog collector Christiana (drug culture icon Christiane Felscherinow). Coincidentally, Christiana happens to be FM’s girlfriend, though their relationship is pretty rocky.

Eventually, FM’s activities lead to rioting in the streets, as his squadron of noise pirates attempts to disrupt the societal status quo. Burroughs appears in a cameo as the owner of a mechanical junk and repair shop. Pioneering industrial and performing artist Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle fame also shows up as a sort of underground techno priest.

First, a note on the film’s more shocking aspects. Early on, when we first accompany Jaeger to the red light district, real stock footage of an autopsy, surgical castration, and some dude doing something with his genitals and a shrunken head is deployed. Additionally, I’m not absolutely certain that a scene with FM and some frogs constitutes animal cruelty, but it sure looks like it. It’s unfortunate, because these scenes threaten to overwhelm the rest of the film, which is already quite potent. The creativity and artistic merit of the remainder of the work is, to me, unimpeachable, and would still absolutely work without this genuinely upsetting imagery. Still, I understand that part of the filmmakers’ intent seems to be to shock viewers out of their culturally induced complacency. However, sequences like the one in the arcade where violent gameplay is intercut with real combat footage in an effort to show how we’re being conditioned by the dominant mass media to accept violence and war is much more effective and requires no such grotesquerie.

This isn’t the type of film where naturalistic acting is desired or required. That being said, Einheit is certainly believable as an angsty and rebellious punk. Felscherinow captivates, even as she allows frogs to crawl all over her. Rice delivers the most polished turn and his world-weariness is a nice counterpoint to his costars’ more manic youthful energy. Everybody looks great, too, with crust punk outfits and business suits embodying the film’s theme of cultural and generational conflict.

The script, written by Klaus Maeck and based on a story by Muscha, Volker Schafer, Trini Trimpop, and Maeck, is light on traditional character development. It focuses on its messaging and feels more like an artistic thesis or satirical cultural dissection than a straight up narrative film. Heavily influenced by Burroughs’ cut up technique, meaning is meant to be derived through unconventional methods. Is it sometimes impenetrably opaque? Sure, but it’s got undeniable allure.

Johanna Heer’s camerawork is excellent. Shot composition is often beautiful, with characters being bathed in strange lighting ala Dario Argento’s SUSPIRIA. A stylish tracking shot through a drab office building opens the film with aplomb. My favorite shots, though, are probably of the characters moving through the urban decay of early ‘80s West Berlin. The filmmakers also took to the streets during the riots that accompanied President Reagan’s visit in 1982 and incorporated that footage into the narrative.

Music is obviously a key component here. P-Orridge and Soft Cell’s David Ball curated the soundtrack/score, which includes tracks from Soft Cell, P-Orridge’s Psychic TV, Einheit’s Einsturzende Neubauten, and The The. The post punk and industrial soundscape merges perfectly with the anxious Cold War atmosphere and arty visuals.

While it perfectly projects an early ‘80s sensibility, aspects of Muscha’s art punk DECODER seems eerily prescient (I’m thinking of Genesis P-Orridge’s improvised dialog about the nature of information and the portrayal of a surveillance state). I legitimately wish some of the creative choices designed to provoke the audience were omitted, and I wouldn’t blame those of you who object to such sequences, but the rest of the film is bizarrely brilliant. Its critiques remain relevant and powerful. Recommended, with large caveats, to fans of ALPHAVILLE, LIQUID SKY, and NAKED LUNCH.