Self-consciously artsy and needlessly confusing, Portuguese film director Joao Pedro Rodrigues' "O Fantasma" is, nevertheless, a remarkably assured debut effort chronicling the psychological disintegration of a sexually obsessed young garbage collector living on the squalid fringes of turn-of-the-21st-Century Lisbon. Sergio is a rootless, carnal being, barely verbal, animalistic, and driven by impulses and urges that seem to spring more from instinct than intellect: it's telling that Sergio seems to prefer the company of his dog, whose actions he seems to mimic in his interactions with other humans. The few people Sergio actually does communicate with are co-workers with whom he maintains a tense, fragile bond that always seems to teeter on the edge of violence. When Sergio is on the job, he routinely sifts through other people's garbage, often finding masturbatory tokens (men's underwear, motorcycle gloves, a shiny, latex catsuit) for later gratification. When he's not up to his arse in garbage, Sergio scours the city's public restrooms, alleyways and swimming pools in his unending search for quick sex. Whether it is co-worker Fatima or some lad from his nocturnal excursions, Sergio uses and discards his conquests with a casually cruel impunity that betrays his own loneliness and vulnerability.

Sergio finally meets his match when he crosses paths with a young motorcycle rider living in a bland, middle-class neighborhood with his mother. This young man, who may not even be gay, is no easy mark for Sergio, and rebuffs Sergio's awkward attempts to get to know him. This only serves to further discombobulate Sergio, who is already pretty obviously headed off the rails. When he starts stalking the young man, you worry as much for Sergio as for his prey; when Sergio dons his black vinyl catsuit and starts shinnying up trees to lurk outside his beloved's window--well, let's just say that's the point of no return and the movie jettisons its considerable erotic steam for a sort of icky creepiness that pervades the remainder of Sergio's journey. Until this point, the movie alternates between being chilling and scorchingly hot, being chock full o'sex scenes (some simulated, some not) and full frontal nudity. There are scenes between Sergio and his sweetly smitten female co-worker, Fatima, that uncomfortably highlight Sergio's mean streak and misogynistic attitude, and there's also a pungent whiff of man-on-man rape that permeates the movie's last half.

The performances in "O Fantasma" are all very good, especially considering that none of the characters are given a discernible backstory, seeming simply to exist as creatures of the here and now. Beautiful and talented lead actor, Ricardo Meneses, hasn't done much (if anything) in movies since he appeared in "O Fantasma", which is a shame. His Sergio is a dark, complex and ultimately tragic figure and Meneses brings shadings and complexity to the role through expressions and movements, rather than copious amounts of dialogue (to be honest, hardly anyone in the film wastes much time talking). As Fatima, Beatriz Torcato has a sexy vibrancy that is both lively and fun, and we cringe for her when Sergio treats her badly. Andre Barbosa, playing Sergio's object of desire is, himself, derisive and cruel, although, as the actor plays it, that mostly comes through the creeping realization that the skulking trash collector is getting too close for comfort.

The movie is beautifully filmed by director Rodrigues and his cinematographer, Rui Pocas, and this DVD re-release looks amazing: even the filth and squalor that engulfs the characters looks like high art. Since there is so little dialogue in the film, the long silences are puntuated by the endless barking of dogs that always seem to be following our characters or hovering on the edges.

"O Fantasma" is a sexually charged, highly disturbing look at the loneliness and desperation of a marginalized young man who is rapidly losing his grip on both reality and his humanity, with the garbage of his profession serving as a (fairly blatant) metaphor for his descent. Although made in 2000, I only recently heard of "O Fantasma" when I read that it was a subversive sex film that was going to be re-released on DVD, so I didn't go into it with any high expectations. I think it probably helps to see this movie without any preconceptions, other than to know that it is not always linear, that there are points where you will be confused, and that the ending will probably catch you off-guard. You definitely have to give this movie some thought once you've finished watching it.