Red Cockroaches Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Red Cockroaches Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 8, 2023

Writer/director Miguel Coyula tries to detail the end of the world with 2003’s “Red Cockroaches,” and he’s not willing to spend much money on his vision. It’s a shot-on-video picture, which guarantees the helmer complete creative freedom to deliver his statement on the decline of humanity and the ruination of the world. It’s difficult to achieve such a reach with next to no budget, broad visuals, and seasoned actors, but Coyula is determined to present something puzzling with “Red Cockroaches,” which is a lousy title for an ambitious film that explores moral and mental decay, with the moviemaker endeavoring to craft something odd, restless, and pained. He comes up short in the drama department, but there’s an effort here to do something different than the usual SOV routine, which is appreciable, even if the feature doesn’t really come together in a complete way.

In the future, parts of the world are falling apart. Adam (Adam Plotch) lives in New York City, spending his days dealing with unchallenging work as a bartender while trying to avoid downpours of acid rain. One day, while waiting for the subway, Adam makes eye contact with Lily (Talia Rubel), a French stranger who instantly disappears, leaving a single tooth behind. Drawn to the mystery woman, Adam is relieved when she reappears, answering an ad for a roommate, with the pair soon living together. However, something doesn’t sit right with the twosome, who carry charged sexual energy, which they soon indulge. Adam also deals with his lonely, depressed mother, Krista (Diane Spodarek), who continues to mourn the death of her geneticist husband and young daughter. When Lily appears around Krista, Adam’s reality comes crashing in when she’s identified as his deceased sister, newly emerged from a decade-long coma in Paris.

“Red Cockroaches” hopes to sell the ways of the future with select images of a bustling city with flying cars zooming around and video phones helping with communication. The planet’s been poisoned, or at least some of it(?), with NYC a pit of doom that’s hit with acid rain (although business tends to carry on as normal in most shots), while Krista’s place in the suburbs seems fine to visit. This isn’t “Blade Runner,” with Coyula’s DIY approach to moviemaking limiting the epic reach of a diseased world, which is also hit with a plague of red cockroaches, which signals something monstrous on the horizon for humanity. “Red Cockroaches” mostly avoids showy imagery, trying to stay intimate with Adam, who’s a sad sack with a dead-end job and a deflated relationship with his girlfriend, whom he finally breaks up with in the opening act of the picture. The dim light of his soul is brightened when he spots Lily, inspiring a question of identity from Coyula, who’s quick to solve the personality puzzle, turning the film into a new direction of dysfunction when matters become sexual between the pair.

“Red Cockroaches” doesn’t become a relationship drama. It tries to deliver a more surreal viewing experience with Lily’s appearance on the scene, introduced as an alluring French woman who’s happy to receive Adam’s slack-jawed gaze. Distance drops between the pair as they begin to live together, which transforms into sex, and “Red Cockroaches” soon highlights the incestual nature of the coupling, which is complicated by the mystery of Lily’s whereabouts for the last decade. There’s mention of a coma and news concerning the actions of cloning company DNA 21, but Coyula doesn’t want to answer this question of absence or possible resurrection. He’s more into kinky stuff, which exposes perhaps the true intent of the endeavor as multiple close-up shots of bare feet are encountered, and there’s repeated use of ketchup imagery in the effort, including the condiment’s use as lubricant (ew) when Lily and Adam finally decide to consummate their relationship. Coyula may be trying to address some of the world’s ills and play with sci-fi/mystery elements, but he also seems to be enjoying himself in a manner that doesn’t contribute to what limited storytelling there is here. Fun for him, sure, but not so much for the viewer.

Red Cockroaches Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.37:1 aspect ratio) presentation is working with a shot-on-video production, leaving the viewing experience inherently limited. Issues are present, including posturization and banding. Detail isn't available, but a sense of frame elements is achieved, exploring apartment life and some city tours. Colors aren't remarkable, but there's a passable sense of primaries with decorative additions and clothing choices. Exterior signage and light displays also retain some presence. Skin tones are reasonably natural.

Red Cockroaches Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix delivers a clear understanding of dialogue exchanges, rising above usual SOV endeavors by paying closer attention to sound quality. Performances are understood and argumentative behavior isn't distortive. Music offers decent synth support. Sound effects and atmospherics are pronounced.

Red Cockroaches Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Miguel Coyula and actors Adam Plotch and Jeff Pucillo.

• "The Making of 'Red Cockroaches'" (6:35, SD) is a 2004 interview with writer/director Miguel Coyula, who identifies his film as a prequel of sorts to his first novel. Making his way from Cuba to New York, Coyula made a plan to create a feature-length movie, working for over a year on "Red Cockroaches," trying to use as many freebees as possible, but still ending up with a $2,000 budget. Pre-production is detailed, with the production sticking close to storyboards. Post-production involved a year creating the visual effects for the endeavor, with the interviewee doing all the work by himself. Coyula is obviously proud of the effort, quickly brushing away concerns that the picture is hard to understand.

• "Discovering Genius" (13:01, SD) is an appreciation piece for "Red Cockroaches" and writer/director Miguel Coyula, prepared by filmmaker Jason Santo.

• "Valvula de luz" (47:54, SD) is a 1997 short film from director Miguel Coyula.

• Deleted Scenes (3:51, SD) are offered.

• "The Front Row" (1:20, SD) is a clip from a television review show.

• And a Trailer (2:03, SD) is included.

Red Cockroaches Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Red Cockroaches" doesn't become the dizzying psychological experience Coyula intends, with the moviemaker taking his eyes off the human side of things, more interested in the visual potential of the picture. There's very careful attention placed on editing and framing here, with the helmer laboring to shake up standard scene coverage, keeping the feature jumpy as angles change with every shot. It's interesting work, but it doesn't contribute to a more compelling tale of people falling apart, ending up more showy than satisfying, but it does give the film something different to deliver while the whole thing turns into a mush of broken minds and spirits, with a few sci-fi touches that go nowhere. There's a defined European approach to "Red Cockroaches," which pursues the ways of interpretational cinema, giving viewers little as Lily and Adam work on their sibling and sexual relationships. There should be something to capture the imagination as the endeavor concludes with many questions unanswered, but it's not a particularly gripping tale to begin with, with Coyula forgetting to create strong, emotional reasons to follow these characters into their vague spiral of self-destruction.