Guinea Pig: Mermaid in the Manhole

Toshio Suzuki's "Guinea Pig: Mermaid in the Manhole" (1988) is a surreal, macabre exploration set in a grimy subterranean world. An artist, bereft and adrift after his wife's departure, descends into the filth of the sewers, painting the decay as a balm for his soul. There, amidst the refuse and shadows, he rescues a mermaid, bringing her above ground to nurse her back to health. As her condition deteriorates, she implores him to immortalize her in his art before death claims her.