In eighth grade, my best friend Kelley had me listen to a strange song about a drug called Zydrate, which included information about its uses and the people who were addicted to it.
I sang that tune for a couple of years until I realized that Zydrate was, in fact, a fake drug, and the song was actually from a 2008 feature-length film called “Repo! The Genetic Opera.” Even though it piqued my interest, I never got around to watching the entire film. Until two nights ago.
I was scrolling through Amazon Prime on some strange genre selection when Repo!’s cover art flashed across my screen: a new-age, red, plague-doctor looking fellow contrasted by a sepia background.
It was already 2 a.m., but I knew that I had to figure out what the film was about and what Zydrate’s role was in it.
I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
The movie is set in the near future after a pandemic. (Sound familiar?) In the midst of this chaos, GeneCo, a company that loans out replacement organs, makes millions of dollars in revenue. By paying off politicians, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) gets a bill passed through congress that allows “organ repossessions” to occur. The job of the Repo man isn’t pretty, as every client who fails to pay up in time dies, regardless of the organ.
Enter Shiloh (Alexa PenaVega), the sick daughter of Rotti Largo’s ex-lover and a Repo man/doctor. Shiloh’s world is turned upside down when she escapes the confines of her home and is picked up by a slowly dying Rotti Largo. Unwilling to give GeneCo to his three ungrateful children, the sheltered Shiloh is thrown into an insidious world and uncovers secrets that are better left unknown.
This low-budget film has something for everyone: action, betrayal, love, comedy and Paris Hilton. (Fun fact: Darren Lynn Bousman, director of Saw II and Saw III, knew Paris wanted the role and refused to cast her in the movie. However, he caved when she came in full costume and rocked her audition.)
Although the subpar picture quality and dark color scheme make it hard to watch, the movie deserves at least one good once-over based on the bizarre content of the story alone. The songs are pretty catchy, and the acting is decent given that the entire cast consists of B and C-list actors and actresses.
‘Tis the season for horror and gore, and “Repo! The Genetic Opera” should be on your watch-list.
