User Reviews

"Flex" is a British short film from 2000, so this one is approaching its 20th anniversary quickly, maybe already past it when you read my review. The director here is Chris Cunningham, who worked with some really big names already like Björk and Madonna and on several occasions with Aphex Twin as what you hear while watching this one is also by the latter. No vocals or anything, just sound effects. Now about the running time, this is where it gets complicated. Apparently, the original version is 17 minutes long and was shown at the Apocalypse exhibition at London's Royal Academy in 2000 (Miyazaki style), maybe at other exhibitions too. But it wasn't released really and the longest accessible version was probably shown on arte and that one runs for slightly under 12 minutes and that's also the one I watched. I also saw the excerpt that is on the DVD called "The Work Of Director Chris Cunningham", which sadly is not the complete work as these under 4 minutes of Flex are really just an excerpt.

As for the short film, we see two people (man, woman) from start to finish in pretty explicit situations. Sex is as much of a subject in here as violence really and it is certainly not for the easily offended. The lead actors (Jo&Jon Hadfield) are married I believe and have appeared in lots of porn, especially the female. But Cunningham knew how to handle them and turn this into an okay mix of brutality and sensuality I guess. It' not too easy to stomach at times. All in all, it wasn't a particularly convincing watch I would say, but it also wasn't a failure either. Pretty mediocre really, no need to see it. Finally if the full version resurfaces somewhere, let me know and I will check out the entire thing and perhaps update my review.

I saw flex completely. And it SUCKS! i love windowlicker, Come To Daddy and Rubber Johnny, so i was excited to see an other Aphex Twin - Cunningham collaboration. But this one horribly failed. The seventeen minutes can easily but to down to 5 minutes without missing anything. The Aphex Twin sound scape has it's moments, and so do Cunningham's visuals. But 17 minutes is waayyyyy to long to tell the story. A lot of repeating images and a lot lot of nothing. Though it lacks the story. Cunningham makes symbolical pictures just for being symbolic, not to show a deeper meaning. He does not add a punchline.

The whole project seems the push the limits to avant garde. What repulsive images can we bring to the screen without losing the title ART? Because Cunningham definitely tries to put the ART-stamp on this one. The Story is about the struggle between man an woman. Cunningham tries to make the story universal, but i can i no way relate to it. A man beating a woman and raping her as a battle of the sexes. what a perversive Joke. Close ups from his penis shows he means business, but do not add anything. I'm not easily disturbed. And i am not disturbed by Flex, but this just seems like some pointless film making. Violence or nudity should make a point if shown. But here no point is made. just trying to shock people on a very cheap way.

Note how the another posters says "I really enjoyed watching people get up and leave". That's a good way to watch this film: Don't enjoy the film, enjoy the way it makes people sick. enjoy how you as die-hard cult lover are though enough not to leave. Cunningham seems to have had the same idea.

Shows this to your friends, to show how underground-cult you are for having seen this. Other than that, no use for this experiment. Try the music videos again.