The film in this review contains extreme and graphic subject matter as well as spoilers and as such may not be for everyone, be forewarned.
Do you know what "CBT" is? If the answer to that question is "no" this film is not for you. Or perhaps deep down inside you do know what it is but have inner Demons you would rather keep inside? 29Needles will open your mind to sating those inner sexual Demons and perhaps even embracing them.
The film begins with the protagonist, Francis, having a rough sexual encounter with a rather grungy man, whom is covered in hair and sweat, with a steel chain wrapped around his form and in between his teeth, biting down on said chain hard enough to bleed. This encounter will stick in Francis' mind for his entire life, seemingly the seed which grows his sexual desires into the painful and often violent nature it is today. A life filled with constant sexually fueled nightmares, scenes which inspire a drive for more extreme encounters. Witnessing the evolution of Francis' desires is both frightening and enticing, due in no small part to the amazing performance by Brooke Berry. Her use of facial expressions to convey everything from disappointment, fear, repulsion, inspiration, excitement is masterfully done. Every action taken by Francis feels real, the pain of breaking needles off in one's scrotum appears authentic, so authentic that it makes one wince each time you hear the needle break.
In the beginning, Francis' journey seems somewhat normal, perhaps extreme to prudish folks but nothing shocking. A three way which ends abruptly as Francis shows his desire for pain sets up Francis' frustration with his sexuality, and an inability to recapture the sheer pleasure he experienced in his youth with the chained man. We find Francis' at home frustrated, eyeing a set of medical needles on his table. At this point we begin to see the extremes he will go to in order to feel better. As the needle pierces scrotal flesh, you can sense the weight of the judgmental world fading from Francis' shoulders. In the background we see masked figures observing from a distance, ones Demons enjoying their hosts perversions it seems. The figures appear both frightening yet familiar, almost comforting in an odd way.
In another scene, as Francis relaxes at a bar he often frequents, a man continues to eyeball him. The man approaches Francis', much to Francis' disapproval. This man ignores Francis' obvious disinterest, and seeks to have fun with the man "who likes it rough". This man will quickly find out that the saying "be careful what you wish for" rings dreadfully true as Francis' does indeed enjoy things rough, but one person's rough is another's nightmare. A boring bj leads to Francis demanding to have his genitalia bitten, which it reluctantly is. This leads to a rough session of belt whippings, hitting, mouth pounding and overall beating. In the end, Francis still seems unsatisfied, almost as if this was merely a lesson being taught to a man who didn't know what he wanted, a man pushing others for something he never truly understood.
Soon after, our protagonist is approached by a young man named Hans with promises of a place where anything goes, a place where Francis can feel accepted, a place that seems too good to be true. After a bit of a back and forth, Francis seems intrigued and accepts the man's invitation. Once we find ourselves at this nameless club, hidden away in an unassuming rundown building, we see a world of sexual freedom and extremes, just the place Francis' inner demons can feast at. Naked bodies quivering with pain and pleasure, bodily fluids flowing freely, dog crates, and much more. It is here that Francis finds a man willing to bleed, a man cutting his own chest for Francis to drink of his warm blood. Though that is only the beginning of the fun. Let's just let this be a surprise for you. At the end of the night, we see a Happy Francis show his appreciation to Hans with a kiss to the cheek, a very different side of Francis that had yet to show itself. This night only serves to embolden his inner Demons though, and they are not yet sated. Soon Francis begins to see things which are not there, his nightmares also becoming more extreme. These dreams must become reality for Francis, and they do in a very grotesque way. An emboldened Francis finds himself attempting to enact his will on the young woman from the threesome at the beginning of the film, an attempt which is unsuccessful. The world outside of the extreme club is as boring and vanilla as it always was. The extremes that Francis will go to increase in intensity, from soundings gone very south, blades in the rectum, and much more. Will anything be enough for Francis? Or will these extremes only keep intensifying?
The artful nature of the cinematography truly highlights the heart of the film. Francis' journey is masterfully shown, everything about it seems real, as if this were less a movie and more a documentary following a man on his path of sexual destruction. The special effects are more realistic than most big budget films, and that says a lot about the skill and heart that went into this masterpiece. Everything from severed fingers to slimy male genitalia worms, to goopy brown tree slime, look as real as can be. I had a very hard time telling if Brooke had actually put those surgical needles in her scrotum! I'm still unsure actually, and that is a shining example of the high quality of the SFX. Speaking of Brooke, this movie would not have been the same without her, truly a Diamond in the film industry that will forever be missed.
To wrap this up, 29Needles is a graphic, perverse, grotesque, often disturbing and frightening film while at the same time being one of the most thought provoking, a film that will have many people turning it off very early on. I would advise that you fight through if you find yourself wanting to turn it off, you will never have another experience quite like this. It is not for everyone, the phrase "too extreme for mainstream" is very fitting. Those who can muster the willpower to last to the end will find themselves glad they did, likely to begin questioning their own boundaries and desires, or perhaps finding a new found appreciation for said boundaries. This film has found itself not only my film of the year, but my top film of the last decade, and has nestled its way onto my top films of all-time list.
Do you know what "CBT" is? If the answer to that question is "no" this film is not for you. Or perhaps deep down inside you do know what it is but have inner Demons you would rather keep inside? 29Needles will open your mind to sating those inner sexual Demons and perhaps even embracing them.
The film begins with the protagonist, Francis, having a rough sexual encounter with a rather grungy man, whom is covered in hair and sweat, with a steel chain wrapped around his form and in between his teeth, biting down on said chain hard enough to bleed. This encounter will stick in Francis' mind for his entire life, seemingly the seed which grows his sexual desires into the painful and often violent nature it is today. A life filled with constant sexually fueled nightmares, scenes which inspire a drive for more extreme encounters. Witnessing the evolution of Francis' desires is both frightening and enticing, due in no small part to the amazing performance by Brooke Berry. Her use of facial expressions to convey everything from disappointment, fear, repulsion, inspiration, excitement is masterfully done. Every action taken by Francis feels real, the pain of breaking needles off in one's scrotum appears authentic, so authentic that it makes one wince each time you hear the needle break.
In the beginning, Francis' journey seems somewhat normal, perhaps extreme to prudish folks but nothing shocking. A three way which ends abruptly as Francis shows his desire for pain sets up Francis' frustration with his sexuality, and an inability to recapture the sheer pleasure he experienced in his youth with the chained man. We find Francis' at home frustrated, eyeing a set of medical needles on his table. At this point we begin to see the extremes he will go to in order to feel better. As the needle pierces scrotal flesh, you can sense the weight of the judgmental world fading from Francis' shoulders. In the background we see masked figures observing from a distance, ones Demons enjoying their hosts perversions it seems. The figures appear both frightening yet familiar, almost comforting in an odd way.
In another scene, as Francis relaxes at a bar he often frequents, a man continues to eyeball him. The man approaches Francis', much to Francis' disapproval. This man ignores Francis' obvious disinterest, and seeks to have fun with the man "who likes it rough". This man will quickly find out that the saying "be careful what you wish for" rings dreadfully true as Francis' does indeed enjoy things rough, but one person's rough is another's nightmare. A boring bj leads to Francis demanding to have his genitalia bitten, which it reluctantly is. This leads to a rough session of belt whippings, hitting, mouth pounding and overall beating. In the end, Francis still seems unsatisfied, almost as if this was merely a lesson being taught to a man who didn't know what he wanted, a man pushing others for something he never truly understood.
Soon after, our protagonist is approached by a young man named Hans with promises of a place where anything goes, a place where Francis can feel accepted, a place that seems too good to be true. After a bit of a back and forth, Francis seems intrigued and accepts the man's invitation. Once we find ourselves at this nameless club, hidden away in an unassuming rundown building, we see a world of sexual freedom and extremes, just the place Francis' inner demons can feast at. Naked bodies quivering with pain and pleasure, bodily fluids flowing freely, dog crates, and much more. It is here that Francis finds a man willing to bleed, a man cutting his own chest for Francis to drink of his warm blood. Though that is only the beginning of the fun. Let's just let this be a surprise for you. At the end of the night, we see a Happy Francis show his appreciation to Hans with a kiss to the cheek, a very different side of Francis that had yet to show itself. This night only serves to embolden his inner Demons though, and they are not yet sated. Soon Francis begins to see things which are not there, his nightmares also becoming more extreme. These dreams must become reality for Francis, and they do in a very grotesque way. An emboldened Francis finds himself attempting to enact his will on the young woman from the threesome at the beginning of the film, an attempt which is unsuccessful. The world outside of the extreme club is as boring and vanilla as it always was. The extremes that Francis will go to increase in intensity, from soundings gone very south, blades in the rectum, and much more. Will anything be enough for Francis? Or will these extremes only keep intensifying?
The artful nature of the cinematography truly highlights the heart of the film. Francis' journey is masterfully shown, everything about it seems real, as if this were less a movie and more a documentary following a man on his path of sexual destruction. The special effects are more realistic than most big budget films, and that says a lot about the skill and heart that went into this masterpiece. Everything from severed fingers to slimy male genitalia worms, to goopy brown tree slime, look as real as can be. I had a very hard time telling if Brooke had actually put those surgical needles in her scrotum! I'm still unsure actually, and that is a shining example of the high quality of the SFX. Speaking of Brooke, this movie would not have been the same without her, truly a Diamond in the film industry that will forever be missed.
To wrap this up, 29Needles is a graphic, perverse, grotesque, often disturbing and frightening film while at the same time being one of the most thought provoking, a film that will have many people turning it off very early on. I would advise that you fight through if you find yourself wanting to turn it off, you will never have another experience quite like this. It is not for everyone, the phrase "too extreme for mainstream" is very fitting. Those who can muster the willpower to last to the end will find themselves glad they did, likely to begin questioning their own boundaries and desires, or perhaps finding a new found appreciation for said boundaries. This film has found itself not only my film of the year, but my top film of the last decade, and has nestled its way onto my top films of all-time list.