Who's in it? Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe, Don McKellar.
And the director? Everyone's favourite Canadian, David Cronenberg.
What exactly is "eXistenZ", and why the silly spelling? "eXistenZ" the film is about eXistenZ, a virtual reality game downloaded into players' spines via a bioport. The spelling is simply a reference to X-Z (you'll need to use the US pronunciation of Z).
A bioport? A gooey but hygienic orifice inserted into the base of your back. We see Ted Pikul (Law) get one implanted by Willem Dafoe but he sabotages it, destroying the gamepod of eXistenZ designer Allegra Geller (Leigh).
Er, what's a gamepod? That's the organic-looking device with which you play the game. Unfortunately, murderous "realists" are determined to spoil everyone's fun, which is why Geller spends the majority of the film on the run with Ted.
So why are these so-called "realists" so bloodthirsty? Maybe they're a rival game manufacturer worried about the impact of such a powerful gaming experience.
Hang on! What is this game? Tomb Raider or tiddlywinks? As Geller herself says, "You have to play eXistenZ to know why you're playing."
A bit like the film itself? I have to play along in order to find out what's going on? Yes. And no. The film plays games with our efforts to ascertain what is real. There are several layers - and games within games - leading us to doubt what is the game and what isn't.
So why that revolting gun that fires teeth? It's a Cronenberg film. Why use a normal gun when you can have a denture pistol?
OK, one last question. What is transcendence? It's the quality of that which goes beyond ordinary limits. In Kant it refers to experiences above...
Sorry! I meant 'transCendenZ' Ah, well it's possible that eXistenZ is just another game within a game, with an equally silly spelling.
Phew, thanks for clearing all that up. Our pleasure. Just bear in mind that a shaggy dog plays a significant role in the final scene, which may be acknowledgement from Cronenberg of the kind of story he's telling.
Anything else I should know? "eXistenZ" was David Cronenberg's first film from his own original screenplay since 1988's "Dead Ringers".
