Borgman

Alex van Warmerdam is a Dutch Lars von Trier. He makes weird movies full of ideas and the audience must struggle to catch them all if they want to get something out of his movies. Here one would have to be on drugs to be able to understand what exactly was happening in this movie. I didn’t understand it while I was watching it, and I was even more bewildered when it was over. The only thing I did understand was that I have to get rid of my bad personality traits, or Borgman will come and get me. And that’s something no one would wish for after watching this movie. (12/24/2014)

Well… how to take this… certainly one of the candidates for the weirdest film of the year. At first, Borgman looks like it would be another addition to the family of classic home-invasion thrillers. But the moment that, besides the shabby hirsute bloke, the house is invaded by giant dogs, to whom the hirsute bloke says: “You’re early. Off with you", and they listen to him, it’s clear that we’re dealing with something a bit more supernatural. The movie has a pretty unsettling and gripping atmosphere, it’s a lot of fun despite not being very forthcoming, and it’s a pleasure to watch from the technical standpoint. But if you need a clear plot and answers to the questions that arise during the story in order to have a proper movie experience, then better go elsewhere, because this is a very bizarre thing, about the spread of evil. Maybe. (01/29/2014)

It’s been a long time since I felt like I was in such a drug-induced trance after watching a movie as I did after Borgman. Its hypnotic strangeness does not captivate you with its visuals or sounds (music is used only in places, and the visuals are minimalist), but purely by what happens in it. It is European cinematic art which, however, does not try to convey its idea in a contemplative and wannabe wise manner, but tells it as it is, without pulling any punches and with hellishly dark humor. Borgman is an exemplary festival film; a proper feast for lovers of countercurrent art. (03/07/2014)

Borgman is definitely an experience that is absolutely unique but not necessarily pleasant. There are scenes here that can shock you, even if you've seen something before. This is due to how surreal the scenes are and how they are presented confidently. This is not art for art's sake, this is a bizarre story that will stick in your head. (10/11/2016)

Yesterday, I would never have dreamed that Borgman would be a five-star movie. An incredible, surreal, darkly satirical, sexy, mysterious and funny allegory for a social movement. The opening scene already makes it clear that something is wrong here. The film has many questions, is full of surprises and at times even provokes an irresistible fit of laughter. For me, this is the most original and strangest film I have ever come across and I will gladly watch it again. 90%. (05/04/2014)