The Crazy Family is a 1984 film directed by Gakuryu Ishii, the film stars Mitsauko Baisho, Youki Kudoh and Hitoshi Ueki. The film centres around a family that after moving in their new house find it overrun with termites leading to the family members going crazy and starting an all-out war with each other. The Crazy Family is a criticism of the Japanese family structure, the film is a deconstruction and criticism of the modern Japanese family and the idealised materialism-based capitalist regime of the eighties.
The film starts by showing the idolised materialistic nuclear capitalist family in eighties japan as they move into their new house, this idea of the film being centred around the criticism of eighties capitalist Japan is further shown with the family constantly unpacking furniture. In this sequence we have shown how modern capitalist society has affected each of their lives, as the dad worries that the new table was expense, the boy’s room is full of books, the girl’s room is full of toys and the kitchen is full of plants. From this the film dissects the nuclear family to question the idealised capitalist regime of the eighties. This is further shown when the dad rolls about on the floor of the house showing that he loves it so much and his wife gets naked dressing only in wrapping paper to thank him. This acts as a deconstruction of the nuclear family as this constant need for the ideal normal life is used to dissect the nuclear family questioning eighties capitalism and showcasing the faults with this way of living. This further deconstructs the idolised modern Japanese family showcases the problems that ay beneath its successful exterior. The dad ultimately feels like a loser because he couldn’t afford a house and says he has a sickness. This further deconstructs the nuclear family questioning the idolised capitalist regime of the eighties and the modern idolised fantasy of Japan as having the house and being the perfect family is the ultimate end goal of people in society. Not only this but the film also criticises this by showing the modern stressed life of a Japanese salaryman. This further acts as a dissection of the nuclear family as from the fathers work the film questions Japanese work culture and by extension the idealised capitalist regime of the eighties again deconstructing the idealised fantasy of modern Japan, which is shown in subtle ways such as the dad doing exercise and him saying he doesn’t want a dog in the house.
Termites are then found in the house. The dad is scared that a tiny thing will destroy the house so disinfects it. This is used as a criticism of the Japanese family and modern japan as the terminates are symbolic of Morden Japan slowly eating away and eroding the society of the country until nothing is left. The film is very much a commentary on modern Japanese life with the worrying about his daughter. The house in the film is symbolic of the dream of the modern Japanese family as well as being a criticism of this kind of life. A theme running throughout the film is that modern technology will make japan successful with the son listening to studies to go to university however Ishii portrays the fears of this society as well. This criticism of the idea Japanese family is shown when the dad tells his life and the grandad off for playing croquet indoors as he doesn’t want anything destroying this picture-perfect life. The mum then dances seductively as the dad rejects her as again, he wants to keep up appearances, this turns the wife into a drunken shambles as a deconstruction of the family unit as the son sinks further into his exams. The dad and the granddad conclude that the family has what they call civilian sickness with the granddad stating its because of the house. From this the granddad decides to go as he will Burdon the family and hears the other family members speaking negatively of him, but the dad convinces the granddad to stay even though the mother and daughter doesn’t want him to. As this is happening the son goes crazy studying for his exams as the dad builds a giant hole to be a new room for the grandpa to live but it just becomes a giant hole destroying the living room, as the family thinks his gone insane, but he believes he is doing the right thing. As this is happening his son has gone crazy spying on their TV with binoculars and writing on the wall as he is obsessed with going to university criticising the brutality of the Japanese education system. The daughter then transforms into an adult woman looking like a prostitute. This showcase where her life could be heading under the eighties capitalist regime as her father sees her as a monster saying she has the sickness. This is a criticism of the Morden 80s capitalist culture how it can ultimately destroy not just the family unit but individuals.
The film has great juxtaposition with the wife making casserole and the husband using a jackhammer to destroy their living room turning it into a building site as she tries to distract him with sex appeal, but nothing works. This further showcases the criticism of Japanese family structures as they believe everything must be perfect. This is used to deconstruct the nuclear family and question the idolised capitalist regime of the eighties as it seems in the film as all this leads to is chaos. From this the film deconstructs the idolised fantasy of modern japan showcasing the very real issues that plague Japanese society. The son lives in a gas chamber in his room and goes crazy form the stress of his exams making disgusting inedible food. This criticises the Japanese family suture showing the disgusting nature that lies beneath. This disgusting nature is used to dissect the nuclear family questioning the capitalist regime of the eighties and deconstructing the idealised fantasy of modern japan criticising the Japanese education system. The dad ends up finding a termite mound symbolically eroding the house away like modern japan as the needs upsetting it on fire. This criticises the Japanese family structure showing that japan is doomed. It dissects the nuclear family questioning the Japanese regime of the eighties and deconstructs the idealised fantasy of modern japan, as well as this insanity being a microcosm on modern capitalist Japanese work culture.
The white ants have consumed the dad’s life as he goes home and starts attacking the hole with the drill to destroy the nest leading to the watermain bursting. This shows the criticism of the Japanese family structure in how these issues have now consumed their lives. This again deconstructs the nuclear family questioning the capitalist regime of the eighties as the film deconstructs the idealised fantasy of modern japan. The wife tries to leave but doesn’t as they stop her daughter form committing suicide. The son then goes crazy at them so he can study leading to him fainting, as the dad barricades everyone inside. The dad then poisons the coffee and tries to get everyone to drink it believing they are sick, as he truly believes that he tired to become the ideal Japanese man. The dad reveals that he poisoned the coffee as the family ends up arguing with each other as the film deconstructs the modern idealised fantasy of japan. This leads to a fight between the family members, as the mum turns on the daughter hating her constant need for attention.
Within the climax all the family members get ready in uninforms to battle each other and were uniforms and use weapons that reflect their personalities. The lights go out and the place becomes a warzone, as the father breaks down the daughters’ doors with a drill and attacks her. The wife attacks the grandad with a fork as the daughter attacks the dad with a cactus as he destroys the house. The son then attacks his dad with a baseball bat as the granddad attacks the daughter playing the role of army general as tensions and hatred flair up between the wife and husband. The father and grandfather also have tensions as the granddad wants to rape daughter as the father understands and lets her ongoing showing he still loves her. The brother then beats the granddad up and tires to attack the sister as they fight, as the granddad is dragged into the hole by the wife. As the dad throws the son into the hole as the dad and daughter fight and he throws her down the hole as they all fight in the pit. The dad then burns down the house and arms himself with a chainsaw, as the gas is released, and the house is blown to pieces. They then end up sitting around the table having a normal meal again as reality sets in on them with the son saying he has wasted time not learning, the daughter has wasted time not practicing and the granddad has exhausted himself. The dad then tears down the house to reject the martialism that controls them. They all decide to tear down the house ejecting the martialism that controls them except for the sister. It is here that family truths are heard such as the fact that the mum never loved the dad before until this moment and the granddad saying he never liked him before this moment. With the destruction of the house, they have destroyed the martialism that has controlled there live and now they are free. They seemly live a happier life as a result as they eat breakfast in what is left of there house as the daughter goes off to school, the dad goes off to work and the son goes to what is left of his room. This is also symbolic of Ishii’s career as well as this is the last punk film he made until Electric Dragon 80,000V in 2001 except for Halber Mensch in 1986 an experimental collection of music videos and live performances by the band Einstürzende Neubauten and his last feature film until Angel Dust in 1994 a psychological crime horror film that resembles none of the punk aesthetic of his previous work.
The Crazy Family is a criticism of 80s Japanese materialistic capitalist societies influence on the Japanese family, showing that a destruction of this system is what is needed to have a simpler but more fulfilling life.