If you have ever wondered or daydreamed about the reality of men giving birth, you probably watched “Junior” (Ivan Reitman, 1994) and wanted a refund. On the chance that you still ponder the plausibility of this scientific impossibility, you should watch—on an empty stomach—Andy Davis’s very, very short film “Mechanazoid.” The film is comprised entirely of one scene. A human male-worm hybrid creature, aka a mechanazoid, is huddled in the corner of a damp room. His body language suggests that he is in pain. Seconds later, a full-grown man emerges from its father’s birth canal. Squeaky sound effects, manipulation in frame rate, and a set design allusive to the decorative style of renowned stop-motion animators The Brothers Quay makes for a rather bizarre film.
Davis and Morabito define “Mechanazoid” as “another failed attempt to create new life.” In the past, Davis and Morabito have collaborated on “The Pumpkin Man” (2002), “The Dark” (2003), and “Beneath the Frost Line” (2003), all of which can be categorized as horror. Incorporating similar techniques from their previous works, Davis and Morabito create in “Mechanazoid” a short film that is a little bit eerie, and oddly bittersweet. There is just something “awww”-inducing about a male human-like creature cradling its fully developed offspring. The film is barely three minutes long, but it effectively critiques people’s ambitions of technological and reproductive mastery. Perhaps we humans should not mess around with Mother Nature anymore than we already have—men should not be able to give birth.
