I find myself wondering if I'll be capable, in the near future, of beginning a review for a Mondo Macabro title in which I don't praise them openly before getting to the meat and potatoes of the production? The truth of the matter is, there is no DVD distributor consistently putting out product along the lines of Mondo Macabro. They continually manage to unleash release after release of films that I have not only never seen before, but that I also wind up enjoying more than words can say - I tend to wonder, "Where have you been my whole life?" when I discover any one of these films. I would hesitate to call Crazy Love a genre film (because it really isn't), but that doesn't prevent it from quickly becoming one of my favorite Mondo Macabro releases to date. Crazy Love is an undiscovered gem of a film for me, and while I may be giving my cookies away a bit too early on this one, needless to say, it's definitely recommended.

Based on a short story by Charles Bukowski, Crazy Love was born in the mid 80's as a short film itself, entitled Foggy Night. The idea of expanding Foggy Night into a feature length film was born, the result being Crazy Love. Foggy Night actually makes up for the final third of the film, while the first 2/3 are the 'add-ons' if you will. So the film is split into 3 parts, each detailing an extended night of one young man's life. The young man in question being Harry Voss. In the late 50's, Crazy Love begins by presenting Harry at the age of 12. Sexually frustrated and just about to hit puberty, Harry falls in love with a young actress playing a princess on the silver screen. With the help of another older local boy, Harry begins to learn a bit about sex with a partner, sexual frustration and masturbation.

We jump ahead nearly 10 years and Harry is now about to graduate from school at the age of 19. Still sexually frustrated, we find that nothing much has changed for poor Harry - except that now he has to contend with one of the worst cases of acne I have ever seen. On the night of the big graduation dance, a close friend convinces Harry to attend and to profess his love to a young lady he's had his eye on. Despite another botched attempt at intimacy, Harry still manages to keep his composure - and with a little help from the bathroom toilet paper roll, sneaks in a quick dance. Still, the dance is unfortunately the best news that Harry will receive that evening.

This brings us to the final act (which is essentially Foggy Night) and now Harry is in his early 30's. He unexpectedly meets up with an old school chum and the two share some time together that evening. There is a bit of dinking, a bit of corpse stealing and a bit of necrophelia before the night is through. This all leads up to a mostly grim and disturbing (yet ultimately fitting) finale.

What starts off as a tender (and sometimes comical) coming of age story, quickly spirals out of control into an abyss of loneliness and despair. By the time we reach Harry in his awkward teen years - we don't know whether to laugh or to cry. The most amazing thing about Crazy Love, is how the subject matter is actually handled and presented to us. While these types of growing pains may be familiar to many viewers, they're presented with such an unusual sense of style and artistry - it's almost like being taken to another world; familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. The first 2/3's flow much better as a pair than the final act. This is almost to be expected though, when considering the history of the production. In essence the third act does feel like an entirely different film, however, when placed into perspective with the first two stories, it does indeed manage to work in the end.

It's not exploitation, and it's not cinematic trash. Crazy Love is a film that can be appreciated on many levels. One can appreciate the fine cinematic score or cleverly executed dialogue. Performances are pretty outstanding all around as well including Geert Hunaerts who turns in an exceptional performance as Harry at the age of 12 and Josse De Pauw who manages to convincingly play Harry in his late teens and early 30's. Most importantly, one can appreciate the fine job performed by the cinematographer and director, for crafting a truly enjoyable film on an aesthetic sense as well. Needless to say, I'm leaving out quite a few details here, because to give too much away would be a crime.

The anamorphic widescreen transfer is quite pleasing all around. There is some slight grain in a few scenes and some ever so mild print damage, but overall - we've got a really clean and near spotless presentation here. Audio is presented in a solid stereo mix with clear dialogue, no distortion.

Extras include a 30-minute behind-the-scenes segment entitled Crazy Love Archives and a 30-minute interview with director Dominique Deruddere. Things are rounded off with a text essay on Crazy Love and Belgian Cinema by Pete Tombs and a clip reel of other Mondo Macabro products. The extras compliment the feature quite nicely, with a host of behind the scenes information that should satisfy just about any questions one would have about this fascinating production.

While Crazy Love isn't a film for genre enthusiasts (by any means), I'd easily recommended this film to anyone who's interested in the world of weird and wild cinema, just like the boys at Mondo Macabro say of their output. It's risky (in a sense) for Mondo Macabro to release a film like this, but I sure am glad they they did. Crazy Love is a fantastic film, and like a good friend recommending your next purchase - Mondo Macabro basically says to us "Look what we've dug up for you, we think you may just like it" - I take this advice with high regard, and so should you. This DVD is definitely recommended.