DEEP DIVE - Tetsuo: The Iron Man
Added 2025-06-23 16:30:56 +0000 UTCWelcome to DEEP DIVE Film Club Vol. 2 - UNLEASHED.
In Episode 2, we explore the extreme cyberpunk aesthetic of an artist with unlimited freedom in Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
Comments
I'm wondering why the homosexual subtext was not mentioned here. To me this was almost entirely about a man being denial about his homosexuality and embracing it at the end. Note the 'dream' sequence where his girlfriend rapes him with the metallic penis. The sexuality is constant in this film and he's in constant turmoil - the start of the film with him writhing and spinning around, his 'straight' laced business man attire his costume to hide himself from everyone with a vision of normalcy. The women chase him, antagonize him, they are all threats to him. he can't finish sex with his girl as the metallic awakening stops them. The ending with the two naked men finding themselves 'inside' the machine together, finally connecting, just shouts this transformation - he even says, seemingly randomly "our love can destroy the world". Its an amazing, radical, almost militant statement of queer transformation - not just for the main hero, but seemingly spreading through the world like a virus. My first watch was seeing the DIY cyberpunk - it just strikes you hard. Second time the other layer just bubbled up as i took it in.
x x
2025-08-03 23:11:12 +0000 UTCAlthough I agree Tsukamoto is a real auteur with being a nearly pure independent filmmaker (like 2 films that had studio backing) involved in every aspect of the filmmaking from pre-production, script, cinematography, editing, sound design and often acting. I would like to point out that Tetsuo would not exist without Kei Fujiwara. Some context after his childhood 8mm films he abandoned filmmaking and joined an avant-garde theatre troop. Testuo and his previous short film Denchu-Kozu started as plays/performances from this group. When Tsukamoto returned to making a film it was with this theatre troop. Tetsuo was the culmination of this and it would not exist without Fujiwara. The whole crew and Tsukamoto lived out of her tiny apartment whilst making the film, acted as the girlfriend, and she contributed many ideas to the film most infamously the drill dick, but most importantly was the only other person Tsukamoto trusted behind the camera alongside him. The filming of Tetsuo was extremely tough and most of the theatre troop left during the production. Fujiwara was the last to leave and only at the very end of production before the final edit. Its important to note without her Tetsuo might not be exactly what it turned out to be. Otherwise, Fujiwara would go on to make two late cyberpunk transition to splatterpunk films a little bit closer to Shozin in style with Ido and Organ. They are worth a watch too for those curious. She then retired from filmmaking and returned to her theatre roots.
Visp
2025-07-10 19:38:52 +0000 UTC
