Symbol

Colin Geddes, the programmer for TIFF's Midnight Madness series, described "Symbol" as the "what the fuck" movie of the festival. He wasn't exaggerating.

A man wakes up in a large, totally white room without any visible windows or doors. He is wearing green pyjamas with large polka dots. Out of the walls appear hundreds of white cherubs. After a moment, they recede back into the walls, the only remnant of their presence being their genitals, which protrude from the wall. The man discovers that when a penis is depressed, an object will appear in the room. The objects appear to be chosen at random.

In simple terms, the film is about the man's attempt to escape his prison, but things quickly expand beyond that simple premise, adding angels, Mexican wrestlers and a host of connections between the white room and the real world.

It's a very odd film, performed mostly without dialogue. Parts of it are very funny and there's an absurdist feel that reminded me of an illustrator named Revillo. Very entertaining though and worth a look if it ever appears on DVD.
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