40 Weird Asian Movies That Deserve a Watch

11. Funky Forest (Katsuhito Ishii, Hajime Ishimine, Shunichiro Miki, 2005, Japan)

“Funky Forest” is actually an indescribable film chiefly because it ignores every rule of conventional narrating, but also due to a number of impossible characters and themes. However, over the years it has amassed a huge cult following. The movie starts with “The Mole Brothers”, a comedic duo that mainly slap each other and act as the narrators of the film. The rest of the absurd characters include three brothers who are unpopular with women, one of whom is a plump American boy; a girl who fights monsters in other dimensions; a teacher who has a relationship with a student; and a man who sprays various liquids from his nipples. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

12. Happiness of the Katakuris (Takashi Miike, 2001, Japan)

The film is, once more, a collage of the preposterous notions lurking in Miike's mind, which ends up as a farcical parody. The script loosely makes fun of “the original, there is clear mocking of “The Sound of Music”, there are ridiculous scenes of dancing and karaoke, and an obviously Japanese individual, who wears a uniform of the Royal British Navy and claims to be the nephew of Queen Elizabeth II by speaking Japanese in a supposedly British accent. The movie also features a number of singing and dancing scenes, which Miike insisted to be shot with just a few rehearses in order to appear asynchronous, (and really bad if we want to be frank), while the zombies are portrayed in the most ridiculous fashion. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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13. Ghua Chang Fou (Joyraj Bhattacharjee, 2017, India)

The movie begins with a procession of people walking through some dark alleys holding balloons , in a style much like a circus troupe. Soon the group arrives to a majestic old building, where a table is set for them to sit. What follows is: they sit, eat and drink, reveal they are celebrating the Communist revolution, they talk and argue about the history of Communism, they get drunk, time and reality lose their meaning, violence, quite graphic depiction of sex, incest, and some BDSM to conclude the “narrative”, all the while under either dialogues or narration regarding communism. (Panos Kotzathnasis)

14. Holy Emy (Araceli Lemos, 2021, Philippines)

“Holy Emy” is a very difficult film to describe, since Araceli Lemos has implemented a narrative that combines the “distortion” of the Greek Weird Wave with the magical realism frequently met in Filipino films, in a package where religion, mysticism and even magic seems to co-exist. This almost absurd amalgam does not make fully sense, and the script is not one to answer every question, but the atmosphere of disorientation and mystery it results into works exceptionally well, essentially carrying the film from beginning to end. At the same time, the comment Lemos wanted to make on sisterhood, what is magic, what is religion, and how someone who can perform miracles would experience life in Athens nowadays, and even more, how would Greeks (or anyone for that matter) interact with her, are rather evident, and given through a combination of mystery, grotesqueness, and humor that also works excellent for the movie. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

15. House (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 1977, Japan)

But what elevates this to the status of a classic is the way it presents itself. Imagine an episode of Looney Tunes directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky and written by Sam Raimi and it would still not cover even half of the film's weirdness. “House” is a strange film that grows stranger as whatever resembles the plot progresses. It molds style, family drama, friendship tale, summer vacation, train ride, flashbacks, voice over, haunted house, lost love, silly hair, psychedelic wackiness, wind blowing machine, over the top acting, freeze frames, animated background, bones, dismemberment, a decapitating well, a laughing (and biting) head, mattresses that undress a teenage girl, a clock that runs on the undressed teenage girl, a woman-eating piano, a warrior-eating lamp, watermelons, bananas, possession by hair treatment, out-of-nowhere nudity, buckets of blood, out-of-this-world fight scenes, a body of water that strips a genius, campy jokes, and a cat into one film. It's a work which must be seen to be believed and even then it is guaranteed to surpass your wildest imagination. (Omar Rasya Joenoes)

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16. I am God (Bala, 2009, India)

Another point the movie makes is that in India, there are many gods, with a number of people assuming the title by themselves or just accept the fact that others believe them to be so. Rudran however, exhibiting a “holy madness”, seems to truly believe he is one, with his purpose being to erase any kind of evil from the face of the Earth, and that he is above the law and any human bond, including his family. Arya gives a great performance in the role, highlighting the aforementioned characteristics in the best fashion. He does not appear in the film as much as one would think after watching the introduction scenes, but every time he is on, he steals the show with his talking, movement and above all, his extremely intense look. Bala draws the best out of him, having the camera focusing on his tremendous green eyes and “coating” his fast and constantly “attacking” movements with music that intensifies the effect, while Arya tries his best to appear as intimidating as possible and succeeds to the fullest.

17. I Am Trash (Lee Sang-woo, 2014, South Korea)

Vile, offensive, disgusting, and morally corrupt. All these terms and more can be used to describe this utter indulgence in depravity. “I Am Trash” is not an easy film to watch, it purposely aims to insult and make evoke repulsion from its viewer. Yet, like a car wreck, it is hard not to look away, and Lee Sang-woo's ability as a storyteller to capture the worst humanity has to offer makes this film a worthy spectacle–if you can stomach it. (Adam Symchuk)

18. Invasion (Shahram Mokri, 2017, Iran)

When you see in the description of a film that it is a dystopian, detective/horror story with vampires, presented in a single unedited shot, and from Iran, well, if you are a true film buff, you will feel the urge to watch it. “Invasion” definitely stays true to its description, but the film is even more extreme than that, since Shahram Mokri wrapped it in an art-house package that also defies the “normal” perception of time and space. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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19. KFC (Le Binh Giang, 2016, Japan)

Le Binh Giang directs, writes, co-edits and produces a genuine splatter film, where onerousness seems to derive from every frame. In this fashion, the movie includes cannibalism, amputation and torture, kid violence, necrophilia, and even flesh-eating worms. Giang, however, managed to include some comic scenes, mocking multinational companies like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and KFC. A somewhat romantic scene with a couple riding on a motorcycle and the main theme, a romantic and nostalgic song, also move towards the same direction. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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20. Maggie (Lee Ok-seop, 2018, S Korea)

Weirdness as the main selling point of a film is nothing new but the problem ‘Maggie' violently suffers from is that its weirdness goes absolutely nowhere. It's first thirty minutes are zany enough, diving headfirst into one nonsensical set-piece after another with sprinkles of deadpan humour to boot, the film slowly unravels (and foreshadows) its own purpose of existence to an increasingly curious audience. However, with the introduction of its narrator, all notions of following the snowball effect misunderstandings and miscommunication can have, give way to a tirade of superfluous sub-plots, tedious whimsy, and inherent unlikability. As each tenuous vignette feeds the growing distrust between the two leads, nothing but impatience brews whilst the film trudges towards its train wreck of a resolution. (James Cansdale-Cook)

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