“King Car,” a surprisingly amusing Brazilian horror comedy, arrives to America with two strikes against it. To kick off, “King Automobile” will on January 1st, so adventurous/curious moviegoers may not be anticipating a dark satire about a sentient, egomaniacal car. It’s also a big shortcoming to promote “King Car” without mentioning that it’s the other 2021 genre mix in which a human protagonist has sexual intercourse with a car. Last year’s Palme D’Or winner “Titane” was a critical and commercial success, while “King Car” was primarily a word-of-mouth smash among film festival goers. “Titane” was a hit, but what about “King Car” you may wonder? Who has the slightest idea of what it is, much less understand how to market it?
Renata Pinheiro‘s “King Auto,” written and directed by her and two other co-writters Sergio Oliveira and Leo Pyrata, focuses on young car enthusiast Uno (Luciano Pedro Jr.) and his relationship with the titular character, a talking car (voiced by Tavinho Teixeira). As you may assume, Uno and King Car have an one of a kind relationship: After a new local legislation prevents Pernambucan motorists from driving any automobile older than 30 years, Pedro’s character refurbishes (and literally adds a voice-box to) King Car.
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A pre-restoration King Car also used to connect with Uno telepathically – and exclusively (played by young Alexandre Lima in early scenes).
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King Car also saves Uno from a life-threatening car crash in an early scene; tragically, King’s involvement leads in the death of Marileide (Ane Oliva), Uno’s birth mom.
Is “King Automobile” one of those films in which a talking car and his human partner ultimately fight because they have an unhealthy parasitic connection, like in “Christine”? Well, consider this an open question instead of a yes/no statement. “King Car,” like David Cronenberg‘s other films, is most engaging when its makers are constructing their film’s universe rather than its tale. Because “King Car” gradually stops focusing about Uno and King Car’s romance and begins to focus on numerous supporting characters through a series of loosely related narrative episodes.
Throughout the story, there are some basic romantic and home power relationships. Uno idolizes his reclusive inventor/mechanic uncle Zé (Matheus Nachtergaele), and as a result, he eventually clashes with Clara (Pinheiro), a young agro-ecology student who failed to make sense of Uno’s passion with King Car. Meanwhile, Zé not only assists in the re-building of automobiles, but he also co-leads a cultish organization that Zé manages but is actually organized by the manipulative and very self-consious King Car. Thanks to the writers trio, we have here a both intriguing and engaging storyline throughout the film, especially when it shifts from a high-concept programmer to a broader satire that suggests political trends—even a gearhead revolt led by a talking car—often appear smaller and more absurd once the deeper social matters are revealed.
“King Car” is and isn’t a pop art provocation based on its figurehead image: King Car having sex with Zé’s girlfriend, Mercedes (Jules Elting). Mercedes’ delight is accentuated by a sequence of overlapping close-ups of Elting’s face, front-lit by the psychedelic rainbow lights of King Car’s mattress-like canopy, as she gets stimulated off-camera. There’s also some nice post-coital banter: King Car inquires of Mercedes, a feminist conceptual artist, if it was her first time as well.
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It wasn’t funny, she says. Is this her first time using a machine, he clarifies? Also, no more laughter. After that, Mercedes attempts to comfort her mechanical lover—such “potency”! —but at this point, it’s evident that the action isn’t simply about playing with a car—“King Car” also finds time for pillow talk.
It’s tempting to claim that Pinheiro and her collaborators crafted a film whose more bizarre conceits and analogies were always going to restrict it. After all, this is a film in which an automobile inexplicably brainwashes numerous young people after they huff and then drink phosphorus-infused motor oil (it doesn’t make much more sense in context). However, “King Car” is also more collected and intelligent than you might expect: cinematographer Fernando Lockett‘s use of broad blocking and dark surface colors (particularly metallic blues and turquoise greens) frequently gives the impression that you’re looking out a tinted windshield.
“King Car” may leave viewers with a few unresolved issues (mainly plot-related), but it also seems open and precise enough to function on its own terms. Everything you need to know about “King Car” is in the film, and although that may sound like a dare, this is the kind of picture that deserves to be watched and enjoyed for what it is, not for what it is being pushed as.
The film is now showing in cinemas and is also accessible on VOD and digital platforms.
