Rubber (2010) is a polarizing, meta-horror comedy directed by Quentin Dupieux (also known as the musician Mr. Oizo). It is widely celebrated—and criticized—for its bizarre premise: a sentient car tire named Robert that discovers telekinetic powers and goes on a killing spree in the California desert. Review Highlights
The plot centers on a sentient car tire (named Robert) in the middle of the California desert. It discovers it has telekinetic powers, learns to stand, rolls through the landscape, and develops an obsession with a beautiful woman. Along the way, it blows up the heads of animals and humans alike.
, the action is so fundamentally ridiculous—a rubber tire rolling down a highway, stopping to watch a woman shower, or vibrating intensely before causing a crow to detonate—that the subtitles become an anchor to reality that offers no real comfort.
was shot in English and set in an aggressively stereotyped American desert landscape. This cross-cultural dynamic adds another layer to how the film's subtitles function.
