The lights are on
As you can tell from the poster, AND the fact that this movie is called "Antichrist", this is a highly controversial film from none other than one of the most controversial filmmakers of all time Lars von Trier. He's been known for making criticisms of American society despite the fact he's never been there (Dogville), crafts a love story about two forbidden lovers due to their religious beliefs (Breaking the Waves), and now, he's done it again by heading into the "torture-porn" genre. HOWEVER, I refuse to call this film torture-porn. Why? Because the torture and violence in this movie is not meant to be in any way "entertaining". If anybody finds the graphic images in this movie "erotic", they are just a sick twisted demented little **BLEEP**.
The film is composed of a prologue, 4 chapters, and an epilogue. It begins with the couple, only named He (Willem Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg), making passionate love together. The sex in this movie is indeed, very X-Rated. While they're sexing things up to the music of opera, their young son finds his way out of his crib and explores. Tragically, and in slow motion, the son trying to look out of an open window, falls to his death while the two are still doing it.
She becomes grief stricken, and He, being a therapists, decides to treat her. He asks her what she fears the most, and She replies with "the woods". When He asks her what scares her about them, She replies with, "Everything." He decides to take her to a cabin in the woods, intentionally named "Eden" until she gets better. But in the traditional fashion of movies in which families go into isolated areas for a long while (The Shining), things start descending into madness as nature becomes alive.
von Trier, who said he was inspired to make this movie when he imagined a nature created by Satan, makes beautiful cinematography and a creepy, unnerving atmosphere. He perfectly succeeds at making nature feel like an evil entity. The film could be characterized as The Shining mixed with pseudo-religious symbolism, and graphic sex and even more graphic sexual violence. You can clearly see that he hasn't restrained his vision one bit, and came out with the movie he truly wanted.
The acting is what makes the movie truly work. Without it, the film wouldn't be as effective as it is. Willem Dafoe, who is always playing some pretty mad characters, is great as usual, but the real shining star is Charlotte Gainsbourg, who really takes insanity to a new level, with an emotionally shattering performance. She even won the best actress award when this movie was presented in the Cannes Film Festival.
Now a lot of critics have called this everything from "unneedingly graphic" to "misogynist". It is neither. Yes it is extremely graphic, but the film gets its shock from its graphic violence. It's not there for mere shock value, however, for it is integral to the symbolism and the story, which is about true unparalleled evil.
As for being accused of misogyny, well I disagree. However, I don't necessarily blame them. There are themes of misogyny, mostly evidenced in scenes where She talks about her thesis on Gynocide. But as always, it's just a movie, is a perfect excuse ^_^. It's not like the director himself is misogynist, but he isn't afraid to explore these themes.
So is the movie pretentious? Sometimes, unfortunately, yes. The film drags on through a lot of dialogue. Although that is not necessarily a bad thing, it kind of takes us away from the beautiful imagery, and creepy atmosphere. And those who've been wondering what was so controversial about the violence may be disappointed due to the fact that all of the blood comes at the last half hour. But this isn't a movie that should be about it's violence, or it's graphic sex, or its controversy. This is a movie that should be known for its unrelenting oppressive atmosphere, beautiful cinematography and imagery, amazing performances, and heavy serious symbolism. It's not torture porn, but it's better to be described as a psychological horror.
I'm gonna give it a 4.25/5. That's all for today, now if you'll excuse me, I need to get the images of deer fetuses, and testicle smashing out of my head. >_>
What would be the point of watching this filth?
I think I'll give this one a shot.
I'm going to gather from this review that my weak stomach wouldn't be able tohandle this. Hope I can stil see it eventually, though, sounds like real *** art.
This film was extremely interesting, and quite frankly I feel it holds its interpretation completely open to the viewer. Those who say it is misogyny are only viewing the shallow bits the film has displayed, as quite frankly William Dafoe's character could be painted as the villain forcing her into these different realms of insanity. In the end, quite frankly it feeds off the 'mankind in innately evil' as is nature itself.
Well, I've never actually been frightened by horror movies, but the scarier they are, the more they make me wonder. I might see this to find something actually scary.
Ummm....(nuff siad lol)
It's not a 'horror' movie in the sense of super natual beings and etheral presences. It's not even a horror movie in a graphic gore sense. It's not a thriller inthe sense that the Hunrated version of HIlls Have Eyes is or Last House on the Left, either. It is however a sort of psychological thriller that I can almost guarantee make even strong stomached people cringe at times... just because "what. the. ***.", in a "the initial reaction to Exorcist" when the girl stabs her genital with a cross and says "*** jesus", or her when she spider walks down the stairs... kind of way - it's a defiance of understood human nature and accepted civil actions.
I place this in that "WTF" category that DeadGirl goes into. It's got a point, and if you're playing attention you get it, maybe not the first time but the second.
It's definately not for people who have a hard time opening their mind to untraditional (anti-traditional even) images to convey a rather traditional message.
It is shocking, the second and third parts, but only because the actions of the characters are done almost instinctively, savagely and without real displayed reason (which is where you need to pay attention to it) - and the same was done in DeadGirl.
Dark? pitch black. Sad? melancholy and macabre. Cryptic? usually. But despite all of that, I can't say that it wasn't morbidly artistic. It's not going to appeal to a large group of people, but it's not a mass media film so it doesn't need to be. It's for people not afraid to explore things as they are and admit that we really are creatures that naturally defy common order.
I was however left with that void of emotion... I had to think about it... and sort of despair... but that's part of what made it good. It's got impact, that's for sure.
Thank you for this review.
I'll most likely purchase it. I'm a Dafoe fan.
From the first trailer and then reading up on it, I was hooked.
Lars von Trier made the film will depressed. Watch it and you will feel depressed too.
(:-/
it looks ok. not so much a horrir fic more of a f*** with ur mind kinda of movie
Hmm...not entirely sure I would want to bring this sort of energy into my home. This is the sort of human depravity that haunts because it potentially exposes the darkest depths of humanity (or lack thereof, more appropriately).
Funny how when we attempt to reduce the human element to its base and carnal ingredients, indeed, to reduce us to instinctual, animalistic creatures, we suddenly become enormously aware of how unlike instinctual animals we are. Animals, even at their most primal, their most instinctual are incapable of the atrocities humankind can perpetrate.
I often wonder what flows through the psyche of a man or woman when they set out to produce something like this. If it's sole purpose is to make us shockingly aware of our 'evils', then so to must we cast an eye on the mind that conceives it. Therein lies the true potential for evil. On the other hand, evil can also take residency in ignorance. I prefer, in this instance, to stay guest to the house of the latter.
On another note, the scissors imagery is phenomenal. Incredible graphic design.
@LEVON
That was from Peter Travers' review wasn't it?
Beautifully terrible. I think I will be watching this one.