Existo is a film with a sharp political agenda. And that alone is something that makes it quite welcome – having been made independently it is without the usual watered-down-so-as-not-to-offend-Middle-America political line that comes after a product is fed through the studio system. And the film is unique in that most of its political debate is relayed in song. For nearly half the film the songs seem to be about all that it has to offer with nothing ever really coalescing into any semblance of a plot. (Although when it does pick up a plot of sorts in the last half it is very funny). However the songs are so cleverly entertaining it doesn’t matter too much. Arnston as songwriter has some marvellous turns of lyrical phrase (he reminds somewhat of a more agit-prop version of the darkly acerbic Roger Waters). The film is almost worth listening to for the lyrics alone.

Existo is a film that manages to both have its cake and eat it too in having a political point to make but not take it too seriously either. Notedly the suppressed art movement is something that encompasses everything from artists to feminists and gay rights activists, environmentalists, drag acts and French critical deconstruction theorists. There’s one hilarious scene with the art activists preparing to go out into battle – “Now just hug those trees then get out of there – you don’t have time to worry about feelings” or the panicked attempts to salvage the art attack that goes wrong – “We need a concept, we need a concept.” On the downside, being a low-budget production it never has the budget to ever take the revolution out beyond the revolutionary den – more than half the film’s action takes place in a single nightclub setting with all the art crimes only ever being described. (Nevertheless Sams does compensate by describing the action in an hilarious series of mock deadpan tv newscaster soundbites – Arnston and Sams’s parody of fundamentalist doubletalk is hilariously spot-on).

It is also a film that frequently gets far too silly for itself. There is a bizarre everything-but-the-kitchen-sink climactic number which has Arnston pogoing about on a giant-size plastic penis, drag performers, a backup chorus cleaning toilets while they sing and a hypocritical senator who is transformed into a pig in the midst of the number.

For a low-budget production it manages to obtain some highly professional performances from the entire cast. It even manages to reign in performances from well-known name actors like Jim Varney (best known for the Ernest movies, some of which Sams had co-written and Arnston composed the music for) and Gailard Sartain. (And these are not star cameos either, they are fully integrated as part of an ensemble cast). Jenny Littleton’s part as the bimbo is rather funny – when she gets to play the bimbo being stoned and gradually revealing her sensual side, you realize just what a funny performance she is giving. The only weak hand in the deck is star/co-writer Bruce Arnston who performance is so wild and whacked-out that it can only be described as bizarre. He gives the impression of a former rock star who has done too many acid trips.