Review of Ganja & Hess (1973) by Omar C — 15 Jul 2014

A pretentious film that accomplishes nothing. There is some hidden message about christianity somewhere in the film but nothing is actually said about it and so the audience is tasked with giving meaning to that which the director could not.

It poses no difficult questions except those that the audience may pose to themselves. Like many terrible films before it, it is a series of "symbolic" images deviod of any real symbolism, lazily hoping audiences will read too much into them.

Spoilers ahead! (Though there is no way to spoil such a terrible movie). The doctor is barely a character and ganja is a completely unlikeable monster who is so poorly constructed she has to explain her through line for the audience in a monologue.

After that she becomes an entirely different character. The two fall in love, get married, she becomes immortal as well and then, for what appears to be no reason whatsoever, amidst all of the good things happening in his life, the good doctor kills hinself and ganja is seen grinning like a cartoon villian as if she had planned it from the beginning.

In between, they have sex covered in blood, some african music plays and we get to experience what feels like an entire sunday mass service. Do not waste your time with this movie.