"Meta" seems to be a popular buzzword that gets thrown around a lot lately. Funeral Parade of Roses is a movie that I don't hear discussed very often, yet it has to be one of the most "meta" films made.

Maybe it's the subject matter, or the sometimes haphazard experimental feel to the movie that turns people off but whatever you want to call it it is unique. You are essentially watching a fairly melodramatic yet entertaining enough tale involving a lead transvestite character and their tribulations. As this main narrative plays out, (insert meta-ness) you are also being shown two separate movies that could be thought of as "bonus features" supporting the first. One scene will forward the plot,…

After watching this you'll never see A Clockwork Orange the same again. Even if you were blissfully unaware of the connection, it's so evidently clear that Toshio Matsumoto's Funeral Parade Of Roses was one of the main influences for Kubrick's film. Regardless of that, it stands up on his own two feet even without the Kubrick connection. Having already seen a few of Matsumoto's short films (my favourite of which being the creepy Atman, made over half a decade later) I half-knew what to expect. Luckily Matsumoto decided to far exceed my expectations. Funeral Parade Of Roses ends up being the most experimental film I've ever seen, even challenging those of the surrealist master Luis Bunuel for the title -…

Maybe you know the movie ADAPTION, in which Nic Cage aka Charlie Kaufman writes the screenplay of the movie he's in.

FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES is pretty similar as it shows a film which is simultaneously filmed while you're watching it. Sounds extremely complicated - and well, who am I kidding - it actually is.

So, most time watching it I wished the time to go faster and faster. FUNERAL... is not very entertaining, but interesting as it possibly can come to for people loving movies!

Additionally, the whole story is based in an underground subculture of gay people and transsexuals. First of all, there are not many movies showing this kind of environment. Second of all, if there are…

After watching this you'll never see A Clockwork Orange the same again. Even if you were blissfully unaware of the connection, it's so evidently clear that Toshio Matsumoto's Funeral Parade Of Roses was one of the main influences for Kubrick's film. Regardless of that, it stands up on his own two feet even without the Kubrick connection. Having already seen a few of Matsumoto's short films (my favourite of which being the creepy Atman, made over half a decade later) I half-knew what to expect. Luckily Matsumoto decided to far exceed my expectations. Funeral Parade Of Roses ends up being the most experimental film I've ever seen, even challenging those of the surrealist master Luis Bunuel for the title -…

"Meta" seems to be a popular buzzword that gets thrown around a lot lately. Funeral Parade of Roses is a movie that I don't hear discussed very often, yet it has to be one of the most "meta" films made.

Maybe it's the subject matter, or the sometimes haphazard experimental feel to the movie that turns people off but whatever you want to call it it is unique. You are essentially watching a fairly melodramatic yet entertaining enough tale involving a lead transvestite character and their tribulations. As this main narrative plays out, (insert meta-ness) you are also being shown two separate movies that could be thought of as "bonus features" supporting the first. One scene will forward the plot,…

Maybe you know the movie ADAPTION, in which Nic Cage aka Charlie Kaufman writes the screenplay of the movie he's in.

FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES is pretty similar as it shows a film which is simultaneously filmed while you're watching it. Sounds extremely complicated - and well, who am I kidding - it actually is.

So, most time watching it I wished the time to go faster and faster. FUNERAL... is not very entertaining, but interesting as it possibly can come to for people loving movies!

Additionally, the whole story is based in an underground subculture of gay people and transsexuals. First of all, there are not many movies showing this kind of environment. Second of all, if there are…