Rubber - DVD

Film: Somewhere in the desert, a group of people gather to witness a very special spectacle. They watch the murderous goings-on of a car tire, who uses his supernatural powers to kill anyone who gets in his way. There seems to be no weapon against Tire Robert's telepathic powers. Lieutenant Chad (Stephen Spinella) is faced with a mystery. But when Robert falls in love with a young woman (Roxane Mesquida), the perfect bait seems to have been found to finally deflate the killer tire. But the story can't finally end until there are no more viewers.

On the cover, Rubber is billed as the best killer tire movie you've ever seen, and that's no lie. Alright, it's also the only killer tire movie, but that doesn't make it any less worth watching. However, the movie about the murderous car tire is truly NOTHING for the masses. Because no matter what director Quentin Dupieux smoked during the making of the film, it was definitely very effective. It's also hard to explain the bizarreness of it all any other way.

The action takes place on two levels: first, there's the audience watching the goings-on of the killer hoop. Who these people are is not explained, nor is the question of why they have gathered in the desert. The viewer simply has to accept this as fact. The second level is the story surrounding Robert, the tire in love. This one works better overall, but towards the end Robert gives less and less rubber and runs out of steam a bit. Dupieux tries a little too hard to be different, quirky and offbeat. And maybe that's why not every one of his admittedly highly original ideas actually works well.

A little David Lynch, some Cronenberg and also a touch of Oliver Stone's early work The Hand waft through the moody production. Gory splatter effects are as much the order of the day as very quiet dialogue sequences laced with absurdity and shots almost reminiscent of a still life. Almost in every moment the film eludes the viewer's expectations, which makes Rubber absolutely worth watching even in its somewhat weaker moments. Arthaus horror of a very special kind!

Picture + Sound: The many outdoor shots in the desert region seem very authentic and are transported on the DVD sharp and clear on the screen. The colors seem a bit washed out and the contrasts slightly exaggerated, but this can be interpreted as a deliberately used stylistic device. The sound remains overall very restrained, only the ambient sounds and very subtle sound effects provide a coherent atmosphere. Good!

Extras: As extras there are some interviews with the director and the main actors. Especially the conversation of the director, that he leads fittingly with a rubber doll, proves to be quite original. However, his answers are somewhat difficult to understand, despite the subtitles provided. Why, shall not be revealed here. Only this much: this is not a typical commercial interview. The three actor interviews then offer a rather standard insight into the making of the film and are quite recommendable as a supplement to the bizarre work.

The teaser and the trailer for the film then already round off the bonus package. A bit lean, but well worth seeing.

Conclusion: Rubber is probably the most unusual horror film of recent times. As a B-movie trash, spiced with a heavy pinch of David Lynch and David Cronenberg, this strip gives rubber in a very special way and may therefore not be everyone's cup of tea. Technically, the DVD is on a good level, the extras are a bit meager, but very original. For lovers of weird horror-comedy of the very bizarre kind absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp