"I can't have all these bodies..."
Trippy as fuck and deadly to those who suffer from impatience or a short attention span. I get irritated when I show a movie to someone and they're at such a loss, the only word they can conjure up is "weird." Weird is an imperfect, safe, and bland adjective to describe most movies, but I'll warrant that in the case of Liquid Sky...yeah. It's pretty fucking weird.
The first half isn't particularly exciting, yet the feeling (née aura) director/co-writer Slava Tsukerman gives off somehow drew me into this singular sci-fi mix of aliens, models, drug dealers, entertainment industry lowlifes; all shot through the prism of the post-punk and New Wave movement. The screenplay is particularly nasty, with eyebrow-raising one-liners and harsh insults. The second half is mostly a complex ensemble scene which plays out like a claustrophobic one-act play. Once you're clued-in to what's going on, it's VERY satisfying to see our heroine get her revenge on the filthy, dumpster fire men she has to deal with on a daily basis.
Star and co-writer Anna Carlisle is quietly astonishing in a dual role which I didn't even pick up on until a few minutes in, and Paula E. Sheppard (Alice, Sweet Alice herself) proves that she was a special screen presence who should've made more films.
The film goes on for about 15 minutes too long, it should've ended after Carlisle delivered an epic monologue while applying black light make-up, and a subplot about a German astrophysicist is merely an exposition device. Still, it grows on you and if you can get through the slow beginning, it's very much worth a look.
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