BOOTBOX003 | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: Life Size (1974)

Alternate Title: Grandeur nature

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

Plot Synopsis:
Michel, a middle-aged dentist, feels isolated within his troubled marriage and has been unfaithful to his wife, Isabelle, on multiple occasions. In his search for companionship, he orders a life-sized sex doll from Japan. Initially intrigued, Michel becomes increasingly obsessed with the unresponsive mannequin, treating it as a living partner. As his fixation deepens, he begins to withdraw from reality, leading to tensions with his wife and societal challenges. The film delves into themes of loneliness, obsession, and the human desire for connection.

---

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Luis García Berlanga
• Writers:
  • Luis García Berlanga
  • Rafael Azcona
  • Jean-Claude Carrière
• Cast:
  • Michel Piccoli as Michel
  • Valentine Tessier as La mère
  • Rada Rassimov as Isabelle
  • Lucienne Hamon as Juliette
  • Michel Aumont as Henry

---

IMDb Link:
Life Size (1974)

---

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. Scumbalina – ★★★★☆
   “This movie is not remotely subtle in its message of s&xual objectification. And yes, she IS an object but…”

2. ChrisL – ★★★☆☆
   “A fascinating exploration of loneliness and obsession. Michel’s descent into madness is both disturbing and captivating.”

3. FilmFanatic – ★★★★☆
   “Berlanga delivers a darkly comedic yet poignant tale about the extremes of human desire and the search for perfection.”

---

Meta Description:
“Life Size” (1974), directed by Luis García Berlanga, is a French-Italian-Spanish comedy-drama that explores the life of Michel, a middle-aged dentist who becomes obsessively attached to a life-sized mannequin, delving into themes of loneliness and the human quest for connection.

---

Title: Alicia (1994)

Genre: Horror, Fantasy

Plot Synopsis:
After experiencing her first menstruation, a young girl named Alicia is kidnapped by fly-men and taken into a surreal and dirty underworld ruled by a disgusting being. The short film presents a nightmarish journey through a disturbing and fantastical realm, symbolizing the fears and anxieties associated with the transition to womanhood.

---

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Jaume Balagueró
• Writer: Jaume Balagueró
• Cast:
  • Ana Luna as Alicia
  • Elena Luna
  • Pedro Antonio Segura
  • Daniel Montblanc

---

IMDb Link:
Alicia (1994)

---

Reviews from Letterboxd:

• Lou (rhymes with wow!) – ★★★★½
  “This is either a surreal fetish video, or it’s a commentary on how men/religious institutions fear (sexual) maturity in women and how they try everything in their power to infantilize them. Or perhaps it’s both? Either way, Alicia is one of the coolest experimental shorts I have seen in a long, long time.”

• Bob McCully – ★★★★
  “Jaume Balagueró’s first short film before eventually co-creating the found footage horror behemoth, Rec, is a prickly jolt of blackened terror. A Lynchian squirt into the abyss, with themes that aren’t too hard to grasp – fertility/futility, matriarchy/patriarchy – delivered expertly like you’re scraping a few comic book panels from a lurid piece of graphic friction.”

---

Meta Description:
Alicia (1994), directed by Jaume Balagueró, is a Spanish horror-fantasy short film that delves into a young girl’s surreal and nightmarish journey into a grotesque underworld following her first menstruation, symbolizing the tumultuous transition into womanhood.

---

Title: Kataude (2008)

Genre: Fantasy

Plot Synopsis: Set in 1960s Japan, “Kataude” follows a man who spends a night with a woman and leaves with only her arm. This encounter leads him into a series of tragic nightmares, reflecting the lingering effects of post-World War II Japanese culture and morality.

---

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Akemi Tachibana
• Writer: Akemi Tachibana
• Original Writer: Yasunari Kawabata
• Cast:
  • Yuuki Okamoto
  • Aki Ouno

---

IMDb Link: Kataude (2008)

---

Meta Description: “Kataude” (2008), directed by Akemi Tachibana, is a Japanese fantasy short film that explores a man’s haunting experiences after a peculiar encounter, set against the backdrop of 1960s Japan.