We enjoyed The Samurai when we caught it at the Iris Prize festival last October. The film comes from Till Kleinert, who won the Iris Prize itself a few years ago for his excellent gay-themed short film Cowboy, which resulted in his making the also very good Boys Village.

What ties all those things together is an interest in the odd and creepy, and that continues with the loosely queer-themed The Samurai.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘On the edge of a dark forest, where the fear of wolves prevents locals from straying too far from home, a young police officer, Jakob receives a package addressed to the ‘Lone Wolf’. As the night shift starts a mysterious caller claims the package belongs to him.

‘Venturing out alone, Jakob unknowingly delivers a samurai sword to a wild-eyed man in a wedding dress, who entices him to participate in a bloody crusade through the village.

‘As night wanes something hidden is unleashed to meet the first rays of daylight…

‘Till Kleinert’s genre debut pulsates with relentless intensity, The Samurai is a daring, outrageous and fascinating journey into the sexual heart of darkness.’

The film is out on DVD and On-Demand in the UK from 13th April 2015. [Read more…]