With sequences of stop-motion animation in which a tiny doll made of buttons, plastic toys, and other doodads speaks to the main character, RHINOCEROS EYES is a moody fantasy film brimming with magic and imagination. It takes place in the cluttered prop house inhabited by Chep (Michael Pitt), a twentysomething idiot savant. Living among the set pieces--50-pound cherries, mannequins, strings of tiki lights, costumes, and rusted highway signs--Chep rarely digs himself out of the maze of junk. But one day he is called to the front of the shop by his foulmouthed boss (the hilarious Matt Servitto, known for his role on THE SOPRANOS) where he meets Fran (Paige Turco), who is working on a local movie shoot and requests very specific, hard-to-find props like rhinoceros eyes. Chep is devoted to fulfilling Fran's needs, and develops an alter ego and slight schizophrenia in his attempts to please her. Wildly amusing scenes of Chep stalking through the night in a Tor Johnson mask, or having fantasies about his alter ego (the toy-parts doll) making love to Fran are only half the fun. The creative camerawork (scenes filmed inside a doll house) and darkened red and green lighting do the rest. Director-writer Aaron Woodley is the nephew of David Cronenberg, who is admired for his creepy, gory films. While Woodley carves out his own niche with this entry, the promising influence of Cronenberg cannot be denied.
(22 votes)
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