The Dark Backward is one of the most difficult movies to quantify.  Released in 1991 it the first film that Adam Rifkin wrote and directed.  Despite this it managed to attract an all-star cast including Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, James Canne, Lara Flynn Boyle, Rob Lowe and Wayne Newton.  Heck there is even an appearance by Billy Bob Thornton.  King Moody(Ronald McDonald in the 1970s) and a couple of overweight porn-stars also make appearances.  Despite this cast the film made only $28,654 in theaters and was universally panned by critics.  It took almost fifteen years for it to come to DVD.  While it is almost the exact definition of a cult film it may be too poorly known for that moniker.

Nelson plays Marty Malt, a garbage man who is an aspiring comedian.  His act stinks but this does not dissuade him. He believes that he has what it takes even if no one laughs during his performances.  By his side is Gus, played by Bill Paxton.  Gus is Marty’s best friend and coworker.  He is also kind of leech or hanger-on.  His motivations are questionable  but he is the best Marty has.  He also has a penchant for disgusting behavior.  One of his lesser acts is the consumption of a rotten chicken that he finds in Marty’s refrigerator.

Gus is trying to ride Marty’s coat tails but his attitude is sometimes difficult to pin down.  It is not clear for example that he actually believes in Marty’s ability as a comedian.  Gus acts as both an ally to Marty and as kind of subversive element in the plot.  Nonetheless he tries to get Marty an audition with a sleazy talent agent named Jackie Chrome (Newton).  Marty fails to impress Chrome and it seems like his chances of making it big have reached a dead end.

But then something happens.  Marty, has a strange lump on his back which suddenly turns into a hand and then an arm.  This development renews Jackie Chrome’s interest nearing obsession.  He is now convinced that he can turn Marty into a star if only with a few alterations.  Marty gets a new suit and is christened as “Desi, The Three Armed Wonder Comic.”  This quest to turn Marty into a star leads the trio through some sleazy nightclubs culminating in his appearance on “Twinkee Doodle’s Amateur Spotlight,” a show hosted by the titular Twinkee Doodle(King Moody) who looks a little bit like Hitler.  Beyond that things don’t turn out the best for Marty and he learns that the road to success is a difficult one.

So why talk about this film now?  It has never garnered any formal recognition and it likely never will.  However, it stands out in many ways as a remarkable and memorable film.

The films setting is most notable.  It takes place in an unnamed city.  It is dark and dingy.  Marty and Gus in one scene are picking up garbage and loading it in a truck.  They never come close to getting it all and most of it falls out of the garbage truck.  Every place in the movie is like this, run down, dirty and bleak.  It also appears to be polluted to an extreme, a possible explanation for the growth of Marty’s third arm.

The background characters also stand out.  They are a morose apathetic lot.  Almost no one looks happy in this movie, especially in the scenes where Marty performs his stand up routine.  No one laughs or boos for that matter.

There is also Blumps, the omnipresent, corporation that runs and makes everything.  The Blumps logo appears everywhere: on products and  Advertisements for products ranging from “Blumps Squeezable Bacon” to “Blumps lemon scented suppositories.”  Many objects feature the Blumps logo and they run the garbage company that Marty and Gus work for.  In fact they seem to run everything.

In part due to Blumps and the lack of product placement that connects it to the real world, The Dark Backward assumes a timeless quality.  Many objects and places look like they could have been taken from the past but other elements like the monolithic Orwellian conglomerate Blumps is suggestive of a more futuristic setting and creates a link to films of the sci-fi genre such as Soylent Green.  Blumps is kind of a mystery.  Other than Marty and Gus we see no workers or any personification of the company.  Can you really trust a business that disposes of garbage and makes food?

All of these elements together suggest moral and social decay.  It is as though the people have given up and accepted a kind of mediocrity that pervades all of society.  If I were to guess it is a statement about how to succeed in show business, that even though people can get into it with relatively little talent there is no substitution for experience.  It also considers what it is that entertains people and how that can be difficult to comprehend.

The Dark Backward is on of the better weird or “cerebral” films out there.  Films of this variety often achieve notoriety in terms of unique aesthetics or bizarre and original story concepts but  fail to bring these elements together in a meaningful way.  A good example of a recent film like this is The Box.  It starts out in a promising manner with interesting visuals a creepy vibe and what looks like good material for a story but then devolves into a mess of discordant elements.

The Dark Backward on the other hand keeps it simple.  It does a great job painting a strange unique vision of a world combining elements of the past and possible future.  The setting is actually important in terms of the films overall meaning.  It also ties everything together with an ending that is surprisingly uplifting.

Even though I am glowing about this film it isn’t for everyone.  I can’t promise you will like it or even watch more than first five minutes.  It’s weird, dark and disgusting at times and far from being a perfect movie.  It may not even be properly described as a comedy, it occupies its own genre.  However, if you have a strong stomach and taste for the bizarre this is the movie for you.