The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi (2009)

Did this movie ever make it to the theater? Box Office Mojo is a film site. It lists every movie that has ever made a single dollar. Domestically, Avatar was #1 with revenues of $760,300,000. The film Zyzzyx Road was #12602 with $30. The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi is not listed in the list of over 12600 films. I have never heard that this film was ever seen in a theater. This was no more than a poor college film with one movie star. After this film October Kingsley never advanced her career. Has anyone heard any more from this person? Has she been involved with anything in the industry. Are there any statistics on the total gross revenues realized from this film? This movie looked like it was trying too hard to create a cult following too. There was no flow to it.

Sex on film is potentially used as a means of revealing the lightest or the darkest traits of an individual character, primarily, vulnerability, instinct, sadism, and impulse. The Seduction Of Dr. Fugazzi is a good example of a movie using such a controversial dynamic. This is not a film that is going to be easily appreciated. Likewise, this is not a film that is going to be easily forgotten. In time, this film is going to become a timeless, cult classic filled with controversy, affection, and repulsion. It is a surreal vision demanding attention, if not praise.Set around the life of Dr. Anna Fugazzi, the film is a dark, sensuous mystery involving the doctor's deranged patients, her masochistic boyfriend, and her colorful friends. The film's beautiful but detached surrealism reminds us that we are not immune to the disturbing events which lurk just beneath the surface. There is a darker side of life waiting for us all. And as a French critic recently said "you either think it's dementedly bizarre or a head-trip to nowhere". This film is dangerously imposing, tempered only by the filmmaker's willingness to push all acceptable boundaries, and yet still remain in control.This movie has a lot of so-called "masterpiece elements" to it. First of all, the way October Kingsley makes The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi increasingly disturbing is a perfect example of how pristine the dynamics of weirdness and tension are built. Through this process, Ms. Kingsley indeed deconstructs the audience expectations. The film's setting and mood are introduced in an exposition lifted directly from older film-noirs. The film is initially expected to follow a particular path. The way Ms. Kingsley associates and intermingles elements of classic narrative methodology and the "dynamics of noir" appears to be original at worst and "avant gardiste" at best.Second of all, the opposition between the creepiness of the plot/characters and the beautiful setting of the film is definitely for me a masterpiece element. Ms. Kingsley succeeds in the masterful exercise of controlling the audience's attention through shock, awe, and crass humor. Most of us will not quite know what to make of this film and we can disagree on the value of such a cinematic experience. However, audacious, erotic, disturbing, haunting are adjectives that will always be linked with "The Seduction of Dr. Fugazzi". The cult genre has just been re-invented by the young Ms. Kingsley and right in front of our very own eyes.

While I have many issues with this movie due to its bad acting, unbelievable story and obviously not researched regarding an "alternative live style" it was just stupid. The only reason why I watched it to the end was to see if the end would be more realistic since it would actually be the "waking" self part. It was just as bad.Yes, you have to keep in mind that everything about the story is from a complete lunatic's view (that much is easy to figure out) but there was so much that was pointless. I don't see how the sexual parties fit in. And unless the girl was a pedophile herself or she was sexually molested by her parents or whatever I don't see how that "patient" of hers fit in. Nor the kleptomania kid. The old professor only made sense in that the cane he had she actually used to kill her mother with. But the rest just didn't make any sense since they were suppose to some how be a part of her.Don't waste your time on this one.

I'm not sure how to really describe or categorize "Dr. Fugazzi" because in many subtle and not-so subtle ways this film almost takes a perverse pleasure in defying categorization. My husband and I were first eager to see this film at Cannes because we heard that Faye Dunaway was in it, and naturally being huge Dunaway fans, we were anticipating an interesting performance from the legendary actress. Well as it turns out, Dunaway is not really the driving force in this film... I mean don't get me wrong, Dunaway does a phenomenal job in the movie, portraying the enigmatic and elusive "Detective Rowland", a character who may or may not be entirely what she seems. But then again, playing with reality is what this film is all about... that is to say, none of the characters are really what they appear to be; and the beautiful surface reality of the film cleverly toys with the more sinister and ghastly Truth about the main character "Dr. Anna Fugazzi", portrayed skillfully by the hauntingly attractive October Kingsley (who interestingly enough also directs this film). The creative and quirky process by which Anna Fugazzi's "Truth" is revealed is the central thrust of this film.It would be wrong to define "Dr. Fugazzi" as a psychological thriller because in truth the film encompasses a lot of different genres... psychological thriller, dark comedy, horror, adult drama, fantasy. Ideally, "Dr. Fugazzi" can probably be best described as an experimental, fantasy-thriller... strangely reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" and Polanski's "Repulsion". It is important to note that there is nothing even remotely "normal" about this distinctly art-house film... the directing style is boldly unique and fearlessly peculiar, the dialogue is crisp and darkly provocative, the characters are all colorfully eccentric in their earnestness (among them, a pedophile with a little dog who utters cryptic warnings to Anna Fugazzi, a devil-costumed entertainment lawyer who runs around chasing his neighbor with a lawn mower, and a vicodin-munching musician obsessed with roast chicken). Moreover, the film's production design and costumes are bright, original and over-the-top... all of which sharply complements the film's bold, ferocious style.It should be noted that there are some scenes in this movie that are so disturbingly memorable that you almost want to see it again just to be sure that you in fact witnessed it the first time around. I won't go into any specific details, but certainly the "broom rape" scene has got to be one of the most hilarious and most shocking scenes in the movie!! Squeamish heterosexual men, Beware!!! Clearly, "Dr. Fugazzi" is a strange and quirky movie that delights in being different from the typically mainstream American film. It is totally unapologetic in it's weirdness, and in many respects, you get the uncanny feeling that the filmmaker is laughing at the audiences' shocked and confused response. I was surprised to discover that the filmmaker (October Kingsley) is American because the film has such an international, Fellini-esquire quality to it. Aside from Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange", the closest contemporary American film that most resembles "Dr. Fugazzi" in style, language, and content is the David Lynch film "Blue Velvet". Lots of incongruous, darkly thematic material bubbling under the surface, just waiting to be unleashed onto the world.With all that being said, here are the pros and the cons of "Dr. Fugazzi" in my opinion: The Pros: A very creative, entertaining experiment into the art of film-making. A totally insane film. Definitely worth a look if you enjoy weird, art-house-type films that defy the restrictive boundaries of contemporary, mainstream American films. Also, lots of perverse, wacky humor and sexually suggestive material that will rattle your delicate sensibilities for days to come. The Cons: If you're NOT a big fan of the weirdness of David Lynch or the risqué playfulness of Stanley Kubrick, then you will probably not like this movie or understand it's stylistic content. In order to truly appreciate this movie, you need to think outside the box and dispel any preconceived notions that you might have regarding films and film-making... otherwise you'll be offended and confused by the film's style, content, and subject matter (probably much to the great delight of the filmmaker).