Tarsem Singh’s genre-crossing, eye-candy-enhancing, infinitely idiosyncratic film from 2006 The case is the kind of project that inspires cult fans. Love it or hate it, it will get under your skin. It got under Roger Ebert’s skin: He called it “a mad folly, an extravagant visual orgy, a free fall from reality into unexplored realms. Surely it is one of the wildest pleasures a director has ever indulged in.” Seven
It’s a monstrous project on every level, on screen and behind the scenes. And for years, it was nearly impossible to see the film – it’s out of print and unavailable to stream.
This ends on September 27th, when the new 4K remastered edition of The case coming to MUBI after a film festival tour. It’s a new chance to be part of one of the strangest, most visually striking films ever made – a film that was more than 20 years in the planning, shot in 24 countries around the world, and whose script was written in part by a 6-year-old girl who thought she was making a documentary. (The amazing backstory of the film with the director remains one of my most beautiful experiences as a screenwriter.)
Above you can see the trailer for the new 4K restoration. Below you can find MUBI’s summary of The case
Set in 1920s Los Angeles, Tarsem Singh’s beloved 2006 cult classic tells the story of a little immigrant girl who recovers from a fall in a hospital and then befriends a bedridden man. He captivates her with a whimsical story that takes her far from the hospital doldrums and into the exotic landscapes of her imagination. Shot over four years in over 20 different locations and presented in a glorious 4K restoration, The case is one of visionary director Tarsem Singh’s most popular fantastical tales of cinematic wonder. Exclusive streaming premiere.
There is much more to The case moreover, most of it is much darker and scarier than that wholesome logline suggests: The stuntman (Lee Pace) is desperate after being rejected by the leading lady of the film he was shooting. He plans to get the little girl (Catinca Untaru) to steal drugs for him so he can kill himself. To gain her trust, he improvises this “whimsical story” — overtly a self-pitying, self-aggrandizing, fabulistic version of his own would-be love affair. This film goes to strange, uncomfortable places and brings passionate emotions to the table.
But it is unlike anything else. That is partly because the plot is so strange and daring. And partly because Singh shot the film all over the world in locations so breathtaking that even in 2008, when the film was released in the US, they seemed like computer-generated fantasy creations. It is exciting to see The case is coming back to the world. Seeing it in 4K will be even better.
