Avalon

** - If one were to ask me which two countries I would find least likely to collaborate on a film project I might very well say Poland and Japan. As unlikely as that pairing is, 2001’s “Avalon” is one of what I think I can safely assume is a very small number of Japanese-Polish science fiction films. Written, directed and designed by Japanese folks and acted and produced by Polish people (and also a Polish-language film), this movie has a very odd feel to it. It is set in a kind of Matrix-esque near future where people spend inordinate amounts of time strapped to a gurney with odd metal contraptions attached to their faces while playing a video game called “Avalon”, which seems to be a fairly by-the-numbers quest-based 3rd person shooter. Various things in this movie confused me. One thing was whether the dank industrial landscape was supposed to portray a dystopian future, or if that is just how Poland actually looks. Also, a strange yellow/orange enhancement filter was used on the camera. Was that a stylistic choice or a clumsy attempt at foreshadowing the ending? Why was there an extended shot of a guy scarfing down some sort of weird Polish meat-based breakfast? What happened to the main character’s dog? Why was there a Polish guy named Murphy, a clearly Irish name? Anyway, I think you get the point. It was confusing and left many unanswered questions.