Antichrist

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  November 3, 2009

  her69eyes

  It didn't take long for Lars von Trier's "Antichrist" to divide audiences. Reports of screenings at Cannes, Toronto, and other international film festivals described situations of people shrieking, fainting, walking out, and booing vociferously. The "genital mutilation" in the fi...( read more)lm's climax has achieved such levels of infamy that it's become impossible to enter the film not knowing what to expect. The question exists, however: is there anything to the film beyond shock value? Considering the fearless performances of the leads and the sumptuous cinematography, I think it's fair to say that "Antichrist" is as beautiful as it is ugly (and, well, it's really ugly).
  
  The film, divided into six sections (four chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue), begins with a black-and-white hardcore sex sequence. As the lovers, known only as He (Willen Dafoe) and She (Charlotte Gainsbourg), are consumed by passion, their only child escapes his crib and tumbles to his death. The horror is the catalyst for what will soon come.
  
  He, a pompous man with an affinity for psycho-babble, has the idea of retreating to the couple's cabin, Eden, in order to help his wife face her fears. It's not long before we learn that nature is, in fact, Satan's church. In films like "Burden of Dreams" and "Grizzly Man", Werner Herzog articulates that nature is not harmonious but rather chaotic. Von Trier takes that concept to a whole new level.
  
  I won't go into the graphic description of the events to follow, but I will say this: although I was adequately prepared for the gruesome climax, I was still, quite literally, shaken. The film's pacing and dreamlike atmosphere draw you closer and closer in - when the violence finally unfolds, your only defense is to shake, sweat, and clutch your face in terror. Try as you might, you won't dare look away.
  
  The film is unabashedly pretentious, about as subtle as a block of wood to the testicles, but you lose yourself to it. Regardless of how one may respond to the last twenty minutes of the film, the first hour or so is as beautifully shot and well-acted as anything released in the past few years. Von Trier dedicates the work to Tarkovsky, and although he doesn't quite achieve that level of utter hypnosis, he comes about as close as any film has this decade.
  
  "Antichrist" is as shocking as any film i've ever seen, but beyond that it's such a compelling work that it's impossible to dismiss as torture porn. Von Trier's message is hateful, his gore a cruel exploitation of the audience, and yet he has still managed to create a singular work in film history. Whether you like it or not, "Antichrist" is a film you'll never forget. In a time where nearly every new release leaves audiences indifferent, von Trier has given us a welcome shock to the very foundation of cinema.

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  October 26, 2009

  johnd62

  I guess I should note that this is not as much as a review as this is a film that I'll honestly admit that you'll either love it or hate it. Sadly I'm in the absolutely hate it with a burning passion. While some will find it insightful and poetic, though sadly for a film that wor...( read more)ks to push buttons, "Antichrist" suffers from trying way too hard and being simply boring. While I wouldn't call myself a fan of director Lars von Trier, I always appreciated his attempts to take risks but here he throws everything you could possible imagine, where you start to figure out that this dude is no more guilty of reusing ideas then Michael f*cking Bay!
  "Antichrist" also has Bay's understanding of feminist theories. As lovely and talented as Charlotte Gainsbourg is, she is not as much giving a performance as she is a tool for von Trier to get his hatred of women out there. When you consider the fact that Dafoe is perfectly okay and rational, take Gainsbourg off the pills for a couple of hours and all sorts of crazy stuff happens. (Read anything about the film and you'll know what I'm taking about.)
  Now I'll admit that this movie has it strong points. The camera work by Anthony Don Mantle is stunning and as much as I dislike the film, I have to admit that its well made and there were one or two moments that the film is genuinely horrific art.
  Simply there's just not enough of this, a beautiful but ugly and cold hearted film. These flaws could be forgiven had "Antichrist" been more then a shallow and sexist bit of dull self-indulgence but its not. Before I can in full on rant mode, its polarizing film so I can look past my own bias and admit its worth a rental for that reason. Though if you can see anything in the film that I missed, I'll gladly listen. Right now though I stand by my review 100%.

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  October 25, 2009

  ceWEBrity

  It feels pointless to even review Antichrist. I watched this with three other people, my cinematically like-minded boyfriend and two of my best friends, and they all loathed it; I was the film's sole champion. I think that watching it is such a massively personal experience for m...( read more)ost people, and that what you get out of it will stem exactly from what you look for in a film. This much can be inferred from the radically divisive critical and public opinion.
  
  I will be the first to admit that the film is far from perfect. It is, in fact, a chaotic mess of inchoate ideas and half-realized themes, buoyed by a remarkable aesthetic and two infinitely brave performances. As a stand-alone film, its worth is dubious and questionable, but as an essay in to the rollercoaster auteurial procession of Lars von Trier, it is profoundly more telling. Every major criticism he has garnered through the course of his forty-year career, from his alleged misogyny to his dispassionate narratives to his seemingly inappropriate stylistic choices, are all addressed in full here. Antichrist, first and foremost, trafficks in an unusual theme for a "horror" film - the inextricable link between sex/gender and nature. This theme, though stashed pretty deeply within the plot, is rather simplistic and not really that illuminating in regard to the events that unfold. What is more intriguing is WHY "She" has been brought to feel this way, through some ill-timed fusion of self-loathing, mental illness, and her critical consumption of gynophobic material. Anyway, her eventual dissolution is what has spurred the typical cries of misogyny from the viewing public, and what results is by far the most terrifying harridan to ever grace his filmography. Her hatred for her sex would seem to be a reflection of institutionalized attitudes, or so von Trier goes on to posit, and in that regard we're asked to sympathize with her. She has immersed herself in a very hateful aspect of culture in a time where she is very vulnerable, and perhaps the consequences are misogynistic, but I think of her resultant actions as more of an attack against sexism and patriarchy.
  
  How does nature figure into it? The theater of operations for this sordid tale is Eden, a cabin surrounded by a lush forest that somehow lies at the heart of Her inexplicable fears. The leap between women and the earth is a short one. I think if von Trier's depiction of nature hadn't been as strong as it is here, the film would have stopped short, but he shades it as something powerful and sinister. The verdant landscapes of Eden are fraught with constant darkness and entanglement, and there is very little sound except for ominous humming and buzzing. The fox, an obvious centerpiece for much of the thematic material here, pretty much brings everything full circle. Women -> nature -> chaos.
  
  I can't help but feel, though, that even if the film doesn't fully realize its potential, it is still the most interesting thing to have come out this year. Even though my friends hated it, we still had an hour-long debate about it immediately after watching, followed by even more discussion the day after. Perhaps this is provocation for the sake of it, but it is loaned meaning through its source. I'm not sure if this film would have been any more powerful coming from a different and less storied director, but it is what it is, and I for one think it is absolutely fantastic. It's going to offend some people, of course, especially in its last half hour (which I actually think is where the movie loses some steam, believe it or not). Without a doubt, however, I think it's going to inspire just as many. I cannot call this either an endorsement or a warning, because I recognize that this movie may well have resonated with me for entirely personal reasons only. I do think that, even for its incompleteness and its occasional repetition, it is definitely the highlight of 2009 in terms of challenging cinema.

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  October 23, 2009

  AgentLexi2132

  ''What do you think is supposed to happen in the woods?''
  
  A grieving couple retreats to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.
  
  Willem Dafoe: He
  Charlott...( read more)e Gainsbourg: She
  
  Well, well, well...Where to begin with Antichrist? I went into the cinema expecting something totally bizarre, and what I viewed certainly didn't disappoint in the slightest. Antichrist focuses on a couple, whom suffer a terrible tragedy. We experience sequences which lead up to their son dying, and then the husband being a doctor, tries to console his wife out of her grieving state of mind. Sometimes black and white is cleverly used throughout the film which intensifies the mood and feel of the story.
  
  Quite intelligently, Antichrist divides itself into chapters, each chapter representing an emotional reference of pain or sadness linked with the couple, and of the inevitable evil emerging forth from the truth coming out into the open gradually.
  I find it fascinating that the film has a minimal cast, I mean Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are the only two main roles in the entire film, and their acting and performances really are seriously incredible and beyond words. The second half of Antichrist really descends into shock and disbelief and will have you on the edge of your seat.
  
  ''A crying woman is a scheming woman.''
  
  The director and writer of Antichrist, really expresses himself here, his emotions and mind come forth into a glorious palette of film. He really succeeds in getting into the dark recesses of where humanity can go, the sexual desire of man and woman, the lustful and destructive nature of our blackest natures. Antichrist also uses many slow sequences, so artistically and meaningful its actually sometimes like watching a piece of moving art. Scenes in which a deer, a fox and a bird at different times provide symbolic references to religious pagan significance, dating back to the middle ages. The more we discover in Antichrist, the more we find out about the psyche of the man and more importantly the woman too. The forest Eden a playground for evil, the devil and Satan supposedly being in nature. Her research into the history of the woods proves grim, as her deranged thinking of evil in women emerges.
  
  Overall, Antichrist is a shocking psychological journey evolving into one of insanity, evil and chaos. I mean, a talking fox, the stabbing of a leg with a lethal weight, and the awkward scene of scissors and blood is sometimes so hard to watch, you cannot find yourself looking away. The revelations and answers Antichrist produces satisfy and the ending will provide debate and discussion for years to come. Pleasingly this is a story that requires deep thought, deep patience and an open mind. I love the fact Antichrist will definitely split people and critics down the middle, and when a film can make you either love or hate it, then it definitely should be considered and unprecedented triumph.
  
  ''A crying woman is a scheming woman.''

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  September 24, 2009

  bort16

  Lars VonTrier went courting for controversy, and he found it. Everywhere Antichrist has played its stirred up fiery debate. Heck, it even won a special anti-award from the ecumenical jury at Cannes for its misogynist views. But is it misogynistic? Is it art? Is it trash? Can art ...( read more)be trash? Is Antichrist an experiment in sadism? Or is it a brilliant inquiry into something more?
  Before delving into the film and what it means, let me first say a word about Dafoe and Gainsbourg. They literally are the only two characters in the film. Both give brave and uncompromising performances. They're richly layered, foreboding and genuinely brilliant. Even if the awards groups hate the film they would be doing a disservice to themselves not to at least recognize the importance of Dafoe and Gainsbourg in their portrayals. VonTrier to must be commended for his direction. It flows brilliantly, and he evokes mood and menace with ease. There is no lacking in terms of aesthetic value of imagery, crisp editing, or a flaw in his menacing soundtrack.
  The film is presented in 4 main sections, in addition to a prologue and epilogue. First, the prologue . VonTrier shoots in slow motion black and white, as He (Dafoe) and She (Gainsbourg) have sex, cross cut with their child getting out of bed, mesmermized by snow falling outside and goes to the window. He falls to his death. This sequence (and the prologue) are startlingly beautiful. The first of the 4 main sections is Grief. She has been hospitalized for a month since the son's death. She seems to have no concept of time. He claims she is on way too much medicine, and criticizes the young doctor who cares for her. She is upset with him for his arrogance - he's after all not a doctor. He is a psychologist, though, which serves as his justification. He takes her off her medication and takes her back home. He puts her through therapy sessions. The conversations are eerie due to there uncomfortable personal nature, and He's detached acceptance of her criticisms.
  She has anxieties and constant fears. She distracts herself away from conversation of them by turning to sex. It becomes ever more aggressive and almost violent. Eventually their sessions turn to her fear of Eden, the location of their remote cabin in the woods. He devises a new method. Go to Eden. On the way their he probes her fears by having her do a walkthrough to the cabin in her mind. VonTrier shoots the sequence in super slowmotion. Images are foggy, dreamlike, almost like paintings - if not for the barely moving figure of She in the images. Then, they arrive. As they drive into the forest, the road appears to simply vanish, tunneling into the woods themselves.
  From here on in the movie descends into pits of chaos and madness. As they hike through the woods, She claims the ground is burning her feet. Her foot does appear burnt, but it goes without recognition by He, as if he doesn't see it. When they arrive, acornsfall constantly on the roof, banging and clanging all night long. Animals He comes across seem to have strange mutilations. One deer has what appears to be a half birthed doe - dead - sticking out of it as it runs off.
  The second segment is Pain, subtitled Chaos Reigns. In this segment, they've finally reached the cabin.They continue their therapy sessions and experiments, as He begins having strange dreams. The mood continues to descend into menace. The nature surrounding them, though aesthectically beautiful, becomes evermore hostile. He awakes in the morning, his hand outside the window covered in strange ticks.
  Next is Despair, subtitled Gynocide. He discovers She's thesis. She began writing it at the cabin but stopped out of fear. All the names of the chapters of the film are listed: Grief, Pain, Despair and the Three Beggars. Her intent was to critique the texts she is studying, which claim the evil of women based on the notion that their bodies are controlled by nature. Nature is Satan's church. She appears now to agree with them.
  It is the film's final act that is no doubt causing the majority of controversy. Menace descends into disturbing violence. Genitals smashed and mutilated, holes drilled through legs, and so on. And it is brutal. VonTrier pulls no punches. The actions are so brutal, so disturbed that it took me days just to get over the physical pain of the acts before i could contemplate the purpose of the acts. A number of reviewers have put forth suggestions of simple misogyny, but that's playing it too simple. Instead, as a few have posited, He and She have given into an alternate world.
  In order to understand this, one must take into account VonTrier and his spiritual beliefs. This is not the world of God, but of Satan (Nature is Satan's church). They have succumbed to their sins - He pride, She despair. These are tools of Satan. Pride has made He believe that his knowledge is the only solution, perhaps even allowing Satan to shape He in his own image. Despair has allowed Satan to pull She into evil. The prologue evokes memories of Jesus Christ standing on the hill, his followers coming to him for his powers of good, or to hear him speak. But in Antichrist the people are faceless, naked, and deformed. They crawl not toward the light of Heaven but toward the death and doom of Hell and the tools of Satan.
  This is my opinion of the film, and what it represents: the defeat of Good by Evil, God by Satan - not in an all out war, but in a small battle. Just one of many between good and evil. If you're looking at it this way, life is at its core a series of battles in the war between good and evil. That's what I think VonTrier is attempting to showcase, but this time showing a win by Satan. Then again i could be way off.
  Whatever the case, art should stir discussions. There is and can be no general consensus on art: good art should be interpretable in many different ways. It is a personal experience and means different things to different people. This is not to say that art must be difficult or abstract at all, just as one cannot say that because something is accessible, or - dare I say - even mainstream that it cannot be genuine art. What one discerns is art, another discerns is trash. I do not think Antichrist is trash. I think it is art. And good art too. Now, let the cavalcade of debate begin.

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  November 7, 2009

  lennyd44

  The tone of this film is so dreadful, eerie, and bleak that you can sort of feel "Evil" presence. Las von Trier shows us a chaotic human nature of grief, guilt, and pain through graphic imagery. The film is slow paced and draggy at times. Some may say it's artistic or it's going ...( read more)"too far". For me, I think it's one of the most exhausting movie experience I've had. I do appreciate the film more once I interpret von Trier's intention. Definitely something different but not a movie for everyone

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  November 6, 2009

  g0y

  Critique on Christianity with a lot of obvious symbolism. Utterly stagnant the majority of the time, relying solely on contained person-to-person communication (dialogue). It's not what I imagined, it's not what it promises; could've easily been so much more. The prologue deceive...( read more)s you into thinking you're in for the best film in decades. Alas, its Dogme restrictions, though well attempted, should know better than to mix with a surreal themed film. Or maybe that was one of the film's goals - to trick you with its opening. Either way, it's not cinematic. Charlotte Gainsbourg screams her face off to win some undeserved hype, the "extreme" scenes are meh, Willem Dafoe is a hot SOB and the ending provokes no thought if you're educated in the doctrine. Try again, von Trier.

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  November 6, 2009

  HarleenQuinzel

  I've been waitin' on this movie for a while. Antichrist is dark, psychological, visceral, suffocating and dream-like in nature. Willem DaFoe is brilliant as the compassionate husband of mourning wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg, recovering from the loss of her toddler to a terrible acc...( read more)ident. As DaFoe helps her to cope, we uncover more and more about the wife's psyche and her life, with chilling ends.

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  November 4, 2009

  spiralrayonshorts

  Boring mess of a movie...by far not one of Trier's best.

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  November 3, 2009

  stilettokillerz

  I would really like to watch this! Find it very very interesting!

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  September 20, 2009

  Muktidaya

  too much 4 me.. feeling exhausted

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