I am dumbfounded by the wholesale inability of any of the other 21 user and critic reviewers to comprehend the message of this heavy handed & straight forward allegorical film. Do yourself a favor and just watch the film. Do not read any of the other reviews before doing so as they all miss the main points in a big way. Don't even read the rest of this review until after you watch the film. Okay, I'll assume the reader is back now after watching the film, or has disregarded my warnings and has read at least some of the other reviews and has a basic knowledge of the plot. Let me clear up a few of the misconceptions you may now have. This is an anti-war, pro-hippie anti-establishment movie. The ultimate descent into barbarism in the end is not the condemnation of the hippie ethic that other simple minded reviewers seem to believe it is. It is also not a statement of apocalypse or that we are all doomed to misunderstand and fight each other in the end. It is simply an examination of the the human condition and our predisposition to return to our primitive nature in the face of resource scarcity, communication difficulties, and deliberate pressures put upon us by those who seek to profit from our misery. The artificial sharks are not simply the worst fake shark props ever made. The "mimes" are not just characters to drive the plot. The sharks and the mimes are the same characters. They are both the symbolic representations of "the man", the establishment, the militarized powers that be. They are the proximate cause of the descent into barbarism on the island. If not for the presence of the sharks, the four would not be squeezed into the resource limited confines of the island. They would have access to the car, their source of freedom and access to a means of survival. The sharks were deliberately conceived to be surreal so that the viewer would immediately recognized them as simply a new incarnation of the mimes. The language barrier combined with resource scarcity leads to a complete breakdown. It simply demonstrates that under difficult conditions of high stress which can arise quickly even the most kind and good natured individuals with the best of intentions can be pushed to the basest levels of human behavior. I think that it is incorrect to interpret this as a flaw in the hippie ethic. It is merely a revelation that an inability to communicate and cultural barriers are human foibles that can destroy even the most high minded ideals. In the end, it is the final scene, not addressed by a single other reviewer that truly tells the tale regarding the message intended by this film. The two mimes, with smug smiles on their faces get into the car and prepare to drive away in the stolen automobile of their victims, satisfied in accomplishing their work of turning loving caring beings into a pile of bloodied slaughtered lambs. In the final shot of the island Mike even grabs the dead lamb and pulls it onto the pile of their bodies making them as one sacrificial mass. This movie is symbolic and allegorical, but come on people, it is not nearly as hard to understand as every review I have read makes it out to be. It is not disjointed, contradictory or unclear in the nature of its message. It is "the man" who is the enemy as embodied by the mime/sharks, and we should all Beware The Mimes! This is a fun movie. It is funny, dorky, freaky, surreal, goofy, with good music, beautiful scenery, a message, artistic intent, a sense of humor in general and about itself as well. Neither the characters, the actors, nor the director take themselves too seriously. There is a definite impression that they had a great time making this movie and meant to inject a bit of over the top campiness into it. It is not the greatest movie of all time, but it is definitely worth a watch and is definitely a period piece that was worth the restoration and reissue done by Grindhouse. If you try to enjoy this movie on it's face, without an interest in trying to understand it's message, I think you will be disappointed and perhaps walk away with only a mild and mistaken appreciation of it as a B movie cult novelty at best. This movie can be much more than that to one who views it as a light-hearted, zany, counter-culture alternative look at both the beauty and frailties of the human condition and as an explanatory tale which cautions against falling prey to the powers that be who seek to divide and conquer in their pursuit of power and profit.
Review of Ha-Trempist
