'Undergods' is a dystopian anthology that initially follows K and Z as they make their rounds and collect dead bodies in the streets of a desolate city. The two talk and discuss their dreams that transitions in to the first of three tales centering around hapless individuals as they face difficult situations.
The film starts with K and Z making their way through a city in ruin, stowing away corpses in their truck and follows the pair as they discuss dreams that they have had. K then tells Z of having seen a ‘ghost’, referring to a man that does not yet realise he is a ghost. The film transitions to Ron, a seemingly normal man, living in a new-build with his wife Ruth. The couple are the first to have moved into the new apartment block, until one evening they greet Harry at their door, who claims to have locked himself out of his flat, a few floors above theirs. The couple invite Harry in to stay the weekend, and over the course of a few days, Harry seduces and sleeps with Ruth. In the meantime Ron is shown growing in rage and anger as he feels his wife slipping away from him. After a drunken night and finding Harry and Ruth in bed together, Ron breaks down. Shortly after, he comes across the building manager from who Ron surmises that Harry is not in fact a tenant in the building. Ron then confronts Harry, who does not hide that fact and leaves their home laughing at the pair. Ron follow Harry into the elevator down as he leaves, armed with a kitchen knife. Thereafter, Ron is shown on the floor of the elevator, in a pool of his own blood, as the doors open to the building manager showing around a father and his daughter who are viewing the building.
Later, the father and daughter are shown having dinner, after which the daughter asks her father to tell her a bedtime story. The film then transitions into its second story, revolving around a greedy and suspicious merchant. The merchant, Hans, is shown to be mistrustful of others, and as he is greeted by a foreign engineer who meets with Hans to propose a new business idea, Hans misleads the engineer and steals the engineers blueprints and ideas for the venture. Interspersed with the cunning yet dishonest business dealings, Hans is shown to be sympathetic towards one thing only, namely his daughter Maria. One evening, as the two dine together, Maria’s friend Johann visits with her and joins the two for dinner, much to Hans’ dismay. A few days later, Hans realises Maria is gone without having told him where she is going. Later, at work Hans receives a call from the engineer to go to his house. Together with Johann, Hans arrives at the house and proceeds to enter. After boing knocked out, Johann finds Hans and the two venture further into the building. After wandering through a lightless basement the two come to a door that leads them through to the desolate city from the opening of the film. On realising there is no way back, they are met by K and Z who are patrolling the streets. After killing Hans they decide to take Johann hostage and later sell him off to a work camp.
At the labour camp, the film transitions to following Sam – a seemingly mindless worker who wins the ‘anniversary lottery.’ Then, we are introduced to Dominic, - a middle management worker at a factory, who wows his boss with a presentation. At the end of the day, Dominic returns home to his wife Rachel and their son Will. As the trio spend the evening watching television, Will comes across Sam sat down in silence at the kitchen table, having found his own way into the house. It is revealed that Sam was Rachel’s husband who went missing 15 years ago, and that Will is their son. The family is dumbfounded, yet they decide to take Sam in. Distraught, Dominic starts to unravel, and as time goes on and Rachel tries to return Sam to some form of normalcy, he breaks down and makes a fool of himself at his boss’s birthday party. On returning home, Dominic confronts Rachel as she is working with Sam to improve his mental state, stating that he wants Sam out. As the two argue, Sam speaks out and proceeds to kill the pair. Later, Will returns home with Sam watching the TV, as Rachel and Dominic lie dead in the kitchen. The film concludes on turning back to K and Z as they are driving around in their truck, wondering if Will and Sam could possibly form some kind of family.
‘Undergods’ is a dark and poignant anthology film that, through its three different stories, makes use of a variety of distinct tones and visual styles. The story centering around Ron, Ruth and Harry is set in the present, capturing a somewhat bleak and modern outlook, echoing the present state of affairs in a somewhat cold and unfeeling world. The second story, about Hans and Maria delivers the tone and feel of a bygone era, set in the not too distant past, yet evoking a strong sense of antiquity, even if only due to the sets and apparel. The final story is intertwined with the bookend setting of the dystopian future, delivering a gritty, desolate and downright depressing feel to the story.
Besides exploring the different time settings, the film carries with it a bleak outlook throughout, focusing on the themes of family and the patriarchy, or rather how it is usurped and undermined. The first story with Ron, Ruth and Harry explores this theme without any transparency, as the tale is straightforward in showing how Ron loses his grip on preserving an already seemingly loveless and joyless relationship with Ruth. As Harry enters the scene, the sense of Ron losing his place in his family dynamic with Ruth is blatant, as his partner seems to lighten up and become more joyful with the stranger. The story provides for a depressing downward spiral, as we see Ron losing his place in his own home, and there is a very real sense of the obvious – that there is nothing Ron can do to turn the tide and in the end as he pays the ultimate price for even daring to reclaim his place in the now ruined relationship with Ruth.
The second story explores the paternal relationship Hans has with Maria. Besides work, Maria is shown to be the only thing that Hans cares for, and it is made evident by his protective nature of her as he is shown to be distrustful and cold towards Johann as he enters the scene. Later, Hans’ world is turned upside-down. As the engineer manages to take away the only thing Hans really cares for, thereby entirely diminishing the character and entirely belittle any sense of prowess or authority Hans may have lorded over the people around him beforehand.
The final story explores the nuclear family dynamic as it is disrupted by the return of Rachel’s ex-husband, and as Sam ultimately reclaims his place as patriarch of the family unit. The story is unexpected in that Sam does not undermine and exile Dominic from the family, rather he eliminates both Rachel and Dominic, reclaiming an odd sense of autonomy, pointing towards the fact that he is not too interested in reforming a family with his wife, yet is open to leading his life with his son by his side.
The film is written and directed by Chino Moya in his feature directorial debut, wherein the creator has delivered a dire and bleak anthology with a poignant central theme, with each story exploring the different aspects of patriarchy, fatherhood and the status men hold in a family unit. The film is an insightful illustration of the frustration that men can experience in being undermined and their power diminished in their own homes, with the anthology format of the feature serving well to allow for different angles to be explored on the same issue, with each focusing on various problems surrounding that same sense of fear and dread that a person can experience as they feel their power being taken away and ultimately as they are entirely replaced or eliminated from their own place in their family.
‘Undergods’ is a worth wile film to watch, not so much due to a seamless ebb and flow between the separate tales of despair that we are to follow, but more so because of the surprising twists and turns that the stories take. The film contains distinct visual settings and captures the feel and sense of the past, present and future, as viewed through a downcast and cheerless lens. Even though the separate stories are not so much intertwined, seemingly cutting one another off at their own abrupt discretion, the film is a compelling and intriguing experience that pulls the viewer into each and every one of the worlds it presents, as long as the viewer is willing to suspend their disbelief and be open to taking each new twist and turn that the movie goes on.
Score: 4/4
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