Irreversible
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Movie Reviews of Irreversible
Movie Review: a tour-de-force -- this movie will change you.
Summary: 5 Stars
I never review movies, I don't have much that's helpful to say about 'em so why bother? But "Irreversible" was so tragic and brutal and emotionally damaging, to write something about it seems to release some of the psychological strain felt after experiencing it. And make no mistake, you do not just watch this movie, but experience it. Gaspar Noe's method, whether his challenging cinematic virtuosity, his unflinching depictions of horrible brutality, the actors' improvised dialogue, et cetera... all of this utterly absorbs the viewer, who becomes a very uncomfortable bystander. Many people have left the movie unfinished, too unpleasant on many levels. this would happen in the first half, in which the violence is so awful and camera techniques are dizzying and esoteric (although it parallels the chaos of the main characters' delirious, frantic search), combined with an omnipresent bass tone that unsettles the nerves even further. To call it a challenging film seems to be an understatement. As a sort of emotional ordeal, Noe's film is one of the most powerful I have seen.
Part of the visceral effect of this film is surely its controversial depictions of graphic violence, in its infamous, horrifying rape scene and murder scene. (there is also the early setting in the underground gay club, which has plenty of nightmarish and nasty images.) It seems to cheapen the movie to bring these two scenes up in such a way like they're "what the movie's all about, yo!" -- and surely many people will come across this movie in the first place by finding it on "top 10 disturbing movies" lists or something where these scenes are invariably described. That said, I can't help but do the same thing, because in all my adult life this is the only movie where I have had to look away when it was just too much. this must be mentioned because the violence is central to the plot and the emotional onslaught (would the beautiful final scenes be so devastating if not for the viewer's knowledge of what happens, and would you even give a damn if the violence represented was just tame and trivial?). Everyone's buttons get pushed different ways of course and that's fine, but it is too easy for others to disparage this movie because of its depictions of terrible violence, but such does not make a movie bad. To attribute this brutality to a lack of morality or sensationalism is very ignorant. The murder scene is not bloody but incredibly cruel and disturbing, rendered in a fluid shot that makes it too close for comfort. When Monica Bellucci is raped and beaten it's even worse, a static shot that looks on and on for what seems like an eternity. As bad as it sounds (and it's much worse to see), this film does not sensationalize violence -- I can think of few movies that are more _anti_-violence.
The reason for this is the structural device. On paper, this sounds like a standard rape-and-revenge tale if presented linearly. But "Irreversible" is told backwards, starting (ending) from the aftermath of the showdown with the suspected rapist to the elegiac final (beginning) scenes of tenderness and beauty and warmth before everything unravels later in the story. The violence opens the film, rather than concluding it. The title card at the movie's end (story's beginning), "Time destroys all things," is not so much a "deep philosophical point" or anything in my opinion, but a simple summation of why "Irreversible" is so tragic. the way violence begets violence and how certain causal relations gain different meaning is interesting, but the real core of this movie is a poignant, heartbreaking message about the delicacy upon which all the beauty in life can depend. When the dialogue in later scenes `foreshadows' (if that's the right term) horrors not yet experienced by the characters, the unrecognized significance hits the viewer like a sledgehammer. Not very subtle, and pretty manipulative really, but very affecting. Actually, the scene where they make love in their apartment is beautiful but disturbing in its own way... we all understand the hitchcockian idea of suspense where the viewer knows more than the characters - well, this is like anti-suspense because we already know the outcome and it makes the film's last scenes soooo wrenching. It plays out like a memory, moving from the great ugliness of present to the comforting idyll of the past. This too is very sad if you think about it.
Much credit must go to acting. Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassell, and Albert Dupontel are all very good and realistic, and the dialogue is largely improvised making each scene more genuine and affecting. Bellucci and Cassell were married at the time the movie was made and their intimacy underscores the relationship of their characters and their erotic scenes together are very natural and lovely. (the tunnel scene and its peculiar rapist, however, underscores rape as an act of violence, not sexuality, and Bellucci deserves kudos with her brave portrayal of this traumatizing episode.)
This review is almost at the word limit, I have to stop but I feel like I could write a book. I don't know anything about movies anyway. SO. In one sense, it's hard to recommend this movie -- but you can probably say ex ante whether your experience with "Irreversible" will be rewarding (whether you enjoy the film or not). You may stay far away, and you may turn it off during the first 45 minutes, finding it too unbearable. And no doubt, it is deeply upsetting, but I would like to think that most people would be able to "handle" this, and an intelligent viewer should be able to appreciate the violence in context. Therefore in another sense, I highly recommend "Irreversible". It's simply an amazing film. You will not exactly _enjoy_ it, but it will haunt you for days if not weeks or longer, and provoke introspection of which few other films are capable.
Movie Review: A tremendous shock
Summary: 5 Stars
Gosh... Where to start?
First of all, there probably will be spoilers in this comment (I don't dare call it a review), so if you haven't seen the movie and intend to, you should probably look away. Or maybe not, if your intent is to prepare yourself to watch it.
If you're reading this, then you've probably read most of the other comments so I won't offer any synopsis, you know what it's about in terms of storyline. However, NOTHING can prepare you for this emotional devastation that is Irreversible. It's a primal assault on the senses and emotions, unlike any other I've ever experienced. One word of advice: if you really want to try to get to the core of this work, watch it until the very end. Beware though: it is literally NOT for the faint of heart. And I don't mean queasy stomachs by that, although those sensitive in that area should also think thrice before deciding to watch this.
The first quarter of the movie is an absolute abomination. The first twenty minutes are something that will probably stay in your mind for life. It is that barbaric and gruesome. I freely admit, I could watch only part of the murder that takes place in the club. I had to avert, even close, my eyes. And I had to lower the sound, completely, until the monstrous deed was done. This sequence is formidably potent, and has the power to make you feel literally close to panic. For the record, I've seen it all too, in terms of horror movies and the like, so I've seen much more than my fair share of gore ;-) Or at least I thought so. The "problem" is that it goes far beyond just gore on film. I don't think I can clearly depict here in mere words the why and how, the reason, regarding why it's so brutal, so raw a shock, but the fact is, it's a lightning bolt right into your cortex.
Frankly speaking, the infamous rape scene coming some fifteen minutes after that is not nearly as traumatizing. Sure, it's atrocious, hard, viciously brutal. But honestly, what do you expect from a rape? Of course it's gonna be one the most despicable act that you'll see, no surprise here. I digress, but what did people expect of that scene before the scandals and controversy began? It's for sure what a rape should be: violently repulsive and merciless. However, except for a few seconds at the scene's end, it's nowhere near as primitive and graphically indescribable as the first -and only- murder in the film.
All this being said, this work is THE most vibrant anti-violence statement I've ever seen put on film. There is no embellishment of any kind here, no stylish editing, smart cuts, slow motion... It shows violence -and all of it- only as it should be seen: repulsive to the extreme, blindly and uselessly destructive, utterly unable to resolve anything, and as the most terrifying dead-end that exists; indeed, having totally irreversible results. There is no coming back from such acts, no redemption either. Man just has to live with his obsession of being stronger than his neighbour, whatever it takes. It's also, let's admit it, a very cruel movie, in terms of its resolution -yes, the beginning of the movie as such, as the character of Pierre destroys the wrong man, and the rape's perp is not only alive and kicking, but apparently rejoicing at the sight of another act of terrifying violence. That, by the way, puts an end once and for all to all the ridiculous comments I've heard that the movie was a glorification of revenge. This is in total opposition to what really happens in this story, and on the screen. It's up there for everyone to see. The film is much too clever to try to deliver a lesson however, but it's obvious to anyone who watched it closely that Noe does not condone violence of any kind, but condemns it without appeal. He just gives a cold, harsh look at whatever is sleeping -or not- inside ALL of us. There is no clear cut, prefabricated opinion to have about the madness and rage these people dive in. This is part of the unease we feel as we watch... The characters are likeable, but blend. Anyone could be in their place.
The movie shows it as real as it gets, not only the violence of course, but in terms of witnessing plain, normal people who are going straight to hell because of uncontrollable circumstances. All it takes is nine minutes, and dark, nasty chance. All of this is not preachy, by the way, just the embryo of reflections I have from seeing this film a few days ago. I'm only beginning to feel good -no, strike that, NORMAL again just now. So this scribing is probably not very structured or coherent. ;-)
There's much to be said about the arresting camera work, the infernal soundtrack (the synthesizer drone during the club scene evokes a demented and anguished monochord lament), and mostly the quality of the acting -suffice to say that all the actors in the movie do a superb job of capturing truth.
In the end, Irreversible is a most unique, if sobering, experience. A traumatizing experience, but ultimately a rewarding one, as there is good and beauty in the film too. It's quite a paradoxical feeling though, and starkly ironic; this beauty is all the more dramatic because as we are witness to it, we do know at the same time it's about to be irremediably destroyed soon. That's also why it's obvious the movie could only be edited as it is, telling the story backwards, comparisons with Memento be damned.
So finally, whether or not you'll be willing to pay quite a lot in terms of emotional cost to experience the power of this film is all the question.
Good luck...
Movie Review: A Hyperbole of Metropolitan Horrors
Summary: 5 Stars
This art-house film manages to dredge up some of most ghastly taboo elements in society and renders them in livid upsets onto the screen. In Cannes, during its world premiere, critics called this the most controversial movie ever to be screened at the festival. There are good reasons for this. Firstly, it was obvious after the closing credits that this film would probably bypass the banning treatment in most countries. Secondly, the performances came from credible actors and actresses who obviously took the film very seriously and worked hard to make their characters functional. This makes it all more the terrible that the world will see France's Hollywood counterparts do the equivalent of participating in an adventure into the decrepit bowels of human waste.The theme of Irreversible is a rape revenge movie. It contains the most shocking murder scene ever committed to celluloid and the most heinous sexual one too. This will unfairly lop this drama alongside the likes of "I Spit on your Grave" or "Last House on the Left". "Last House on the Left" is not as bad as "I Spit on your Grave" but is equally controversial for its rape sequence. "Last House" is shocking, but is passable because it has the moral elements of "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" to consider. "I Spit on your Grave" is exploitation that is designed to cater for the gore market and has no place in cinema. Most horror fans will also agree that "I spit on your Grave" is simply sick and should never be repeated again. Some may even consider it dangerous material. I certainly would agree with that last statement and I hoped that a film like that would never be made again. Then Gasper Noe came along in 2002 and appeared to have done just that. When the censors let this one pass and it achieved some acclaim from the critics it got my attention.
Irreversible is like neither of the two movies mention above. It is hard to compare Irreversible to anything other than that of very moving, shocking and brutal drama. The film is designed backwards, running from the end to the beginning. This helps the viewer to come down from the bad trip that first forty minutes bangs into them. The film is also edited in such a way that it moves uncut from one scene to the next. This is achieved by a very nauseating camera movement which goes up into the air and flips around in circles to join up with the next sequence. This stomach-churning effect will have you feeling ill within the first five minutes. As Noe takes us into the red lit nadir of a homosexual nightclub you are about to see things that you have never seen before... nor do you want too. When the freak murder scene involving a fire extinguisher comes out of the blue, you are witnessing what seems like a very real and violent homicide. The camera does not cut away as a person appears to have his face smashed in to the point where all that remains is the lower quivering jaw and his arms shaking around. The question then remains as to why this happened, who is the dead man and why did they kill him? As the film moves backwards, you hope that is all is going to be explained and in many ways it is.
The resolution or justification never really comes but you realize that what has happened, transpired because it simply did - without cause, without validation but not without meaning. Noe's world is as much of a fantasy as it is a reality. There is nothing here that is going to reconcile what you witnessed and the film is pretty bleak through and through. It has many morals about the intention and execution of vigilante retribution but also about the desperateness of a lovers' sheer blind rage. Many things happen in this film because the protagonists did not take a moment out to consider their actions or the consequences. In many ways this film speaks volumes about the quality of life and those who disrespect it. It describes a world where bad guys can win and good people become victims. Sounds familiar? That is because it is. There is no happy Hollywood ending here because we do not live in Hollywood. Noe smacks that home to us and maybe some us have a need to be told this. Certainly I came away from this movie with a changed mind in a lot of respects. I want to live my life for the better and certainly want to avoid becoming or ending up like most of the characters here. In many ways this is a good thing and the film genuinely makes you want to value life, friends and love a bit more. It is strange that the nature of this movie would have this kind of effect - but it does.
The moral here is that life is precious. You should think about yourself and others a bit more and try to do more good than harm. Sometimes our pride and greed can sideline these things. Certainly Noe is saying that we should remember who and what we are and try to make a world for the better. It is certainly a worldly endeavour to get people to understand this and Noe's last reel contains a final vestibule of assertion which drives this point home to the viewer. It is a wicked way to present this just cause, but then again sometimes it is needed. It is strange that this film would have this paradox but then again Noe is a great director and his understanding of how we work is second to none. This is cinema at its most powerful, dramatic and engaging. Do not avoid this because of its offensiveness. There is a good moral message here to be gained.
Movie Review: Soul shattering
Summary: 5 Stars
After witnessing the nightmare of Gaspar Noe's "I Stand Alone," a movie that left me in open-mouthed awe for days afterwards, I just knew I had to see "Irreversible." I am not a big foreign film aficionado, not by a long shot, but Noe's films are worth watching simply because they are deeply disturbing jaunts into the darkest recesses of the human psyche. He's not above showing life as it really is, and he does it in ways that make you laugh at the cleverness of the presentation even as you cringe in disgust at the subject matter. In other words, his pictures are right up my alley. I always love to watch cinema that challenges the viewer on some level, something rare indeed in an age of the American special effects laden summer blockbusters. That doesn't necessarily mean I always like these types of films; oftentimes I don't when the fine line between challenging and pretentiousness is crossed, but Noe's stuff is great because it is premium grade weirdness. "Irreversible" will remind many viewers of the American film "Memento," except Noe's film is darker, oh so much darker, than that movie."Irreversible" flows backwards, with the closing credits opening the film and each scene shown from the end towards the beginning. Right from the start, you know you're going to see something different. Boy, are you ever! A sex club with fleeting sounds and images of pornographic behaviors, a sickening scene of a human head being bashed in with a fire extinguisher, and an arrest quickly start you wondering about what it all means. As the film progresses (regresses?), we learn why one man killed another in that seedy bar. Alex (Monica Bellucci), a rather carefree soul, was brutally raped and beaten by a thuggish French pimp in a subway tunnel. Her boyfriend Marcus (Vincent Cassel) promptly had an emotional meltdown when he discovered what happened to his lovely woman. Full of seething rage, he goes on a rampage through the city looking for the man who maimed Alex. Along for the ride is Pierre (Albert Dupontel), Alex's former boyfriend who desperately attempts to rein in Marcus's reckless quest for vengeance.
Surprises abound in "Irreversible," surprises that will leave you thinking about the film long after it ends. I was a little amazed I figured out how the film concludes (begins, actually) long before I got there. You just knew there had to be some big, explosive revelation that would give Alex's victimization even more pathos. Well, there is and it's quite shocking. In fact, it would have worked almost as well had the film been shown in chronological order. Since Noe chose to reverse the sequence of the scenes, he not only retains the film's shock value but also imbues it with a frequently recurring sense of "what if." If only Marcus had paid more attention to his wife at that party. If only Alex had listened to Pierre and not gone out alone in a dangerous neighborhood. If only, if only, if only. You get the idea. This sense of identification gives the movie its edge. We've all done the same thing, asked the same questions, after a personal tragedy. I know I have.
What shocks even more are the things Gaspar Noe can get away with showing in a French film. The French have little problem with overt pornography, morally repugnant violence, and lengthy discussions on the most intimate details of sexual relationships. Sure, American films are violent and sometimes crass in their discussions of sex, but not like the French films I have seen lately. I can't imagine any mainstream film made here that would show a rape sequence that runs for nearly ten minutes, or the weird goings on in a club. If you have a serious problem with any of these issues, stay far, FAR away from "Irreversible." For that matter, stay just as far away from Noe's "I Stand Alone," a movie that shows in gruesome detail a murder/suicide. I will say that the filmmaker does not in anyway attempt to glorify the vicious acts of cruelty and barbarism he depicts in his movies. That doesn't mean it makes these incidents any easier to watch, however.
"Irreversible" is a shocker on many levels, a film not suited to a majority of the movie going public. It's not the sort of movie you would take a date to, or watch with members of your family unless you're a member of the Manson family. It should go without saying that Noe's picture is not suitable for young children. I recommend watching "Irreversible" alone so that it becomes a personal experience. I don't know what Gaspar Noe will come out with next, or if he'll ever make another film again, but I want to see it whatever it ends up being. If you haven't seen "I Stand Alone" before watching this one, make sure you see it soon. Fans of this type of cinema should also check out "Baise-Moi," another French film filled with even greater amounts of nihilism and despair than this one.
Movie Review: Time destroys everything... but not this film! Masterful!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Before I begin... Has anyone else noticed that you cannot access the 'Making of Special Effects' feature that is prominently advertised on the US Region 1 DVD? Rape happens. It happens to someone, somewhere in the world, every minute of every day. To avert your eyes is to deny that it exists in your world. To turn away is to shirk responsibility. This film is truthful in it's depiction of that horror and the feelings of vengeance that inevitably follow. There will be those that are repulsed by this film, a film that can make 'Requiem for a Dream' seem like a little girl's fairytale. If you are one of those who refuse to watch 'Irreversible' or one who watches and is offended... then you are living in a fake fairytale world of your own. This great French film is as brutally truthful and poignant as any in recent memory. It is one of the saddest films I have ever seen. And yet, because of it's reverse chronology, the final scenes of blissful romanticism are some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking moments ever committed to the silver screen. This is a courageous and magnificent artistic achievement!
'Irreversible' unfolds backwards, much like 2001's 'Memento'. It's not a gimmick... far from it. The film begins with the revenge beating of a suspected rapist. It is a savage and relentless scene that will make many squirm. It is as graphic and violent a scene as could be imagined, and at the end, you will feel like you were the one who had their skull crushed in. And because we have no real idea who these characters are, there is a sense that this is gratuitous and pointless violence. Then we go back in time just a few minutes to the search for the rapist and watch as the frenzy of revenge consumes a man who is bent on justice for the rape of his girlfriend. The next scene is the rape itself. It is a soul-crushing scene of relentless intensity that seems to drag on forever. It makes the earlier beating scene seem rather tame and almost justified. And the film continues to track time in reverse to the beginning of a seemingly innocuous day filled with hope and love and tenderness. But of course, unlike the characters, we are painfully aware of what awaits them as the day unfolds. It is tear-inducingly sad to watch these people drift toward an irreversible destiny.
Monica Bellucci is astonishingly brave. This performance is as courageous and accomplished as Diane Lane's role in last year's thriller 'Unfaithful'. She should be decorated with every award there is for her role as Alex. She is terrifyingly scared and desperately sympathetic in the rape scene... but her best work comes later in the film (earlier in the day) as she shares some tender moments with her lover (Cassel) and some funny moments with an ex-boyfriend. The final twenty minutes of the movie are all a showcase for her... a chance for her to show that she is capable of magnificent subtlety and tremendous range. The bedroom scene with Bellucci and her real life husband, Vincent Cassel, is as realistic and honest as you will ever see. There is no need for added sentiment or melodrama... only truth. Their interaction is spectacular in these moments.
'Irreversible' is a film about many things: The Relentlessness of Time; The Cruelty of Karma; The Inevitability of Destiny; The Natural Tendency of Revenge; The Randomness of Luck; The Sadness of Truth. I could go on and on. This film doesn't give us convention. It says that sometimes bad things happen to good people. It shows that fortune sometimes smiles on evil (Try to remember every face you see!). The movie doesn't perpetuate our need for fakery and fairytales. Bad things happen... but time will destroy that too.
As the film tells us over and over... "Time destroys everything."
Director Gaspar Noé and his cast have created a great film... one that should be seen by everyone, especially those that don't want to! This film has the ability to change you... and how many times can you say that about your typical fluffy Hollywood fairytale? This is a masterpiece!
I am sure that this film has reserved a place in my Top Ten list for 2003.