Movie Summary of Antichrist by Michael the Moviegoer.
ANTICHRIST = ***
“Ripping Open The Envelope”
With “Antichrist”, Lars von Trier puts the art back into the “art movie”. And like most art, how we feel about it is subjective and will differ from person to person. I’ve read dozens of reviews for this film, some praising it as a masterpiece of modern cinema, others hating it enough to compare it to a fart!
Is it an important film? It is to its director. Maybe that’s all that really matters in the end. This filmmaker is a tortured artist on the verge of madness. Many works of art throughout history have come from artists creating during some of their darkest moments. We can choose to look or to look away.
There hasn’t been a single review or article written about this film that doesn’t describe what happens in the opening scene. So, in case you don’t know, a couple played by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are making love while in the next room their infant son crawls out of a window and falls to his death. The rest of the movie details how the couple copes with this tragedy. But don’t expect another “Ordinary People”. This movie turns into a shockingly horrific sadomasochistic piece of torture-porn that makes the “Saw” movies seem like Disney musicals.
No matter how many movies you’ve seen in your life, there are moments in “Antichrist” where you will see things you’ve never seen before and probably don’t want to be seeing. There are graphic images of torture and sexual mutilation that you will never be able to delete from your memory. I know there are those who will be turned off by what I’ve said and not want to see this movie. But I also know there are those who may want to see it even more. They are the group hoping to see some fun gruesome entertainment. They will be severely disappointed.
If being riveted to your seat is entertaining, then I guess I was entertained. But the middle hour of this movie is all slow motion psycho-babble that, for many, might be the perfect cure for insomnia. But, for the curious who are open-minded about experiencing a disturbing yet deeply psychological piece of cinema, there’s no way you wouldn’t find this film interesting, even if you end up hating it. I know I don’t ever want to see it again, but I don’t regret seeing it. I won’t recommend this movie to my family and friends, but I wouldn’t tell someone not to see it if they are curious about it. Just be prepared for anything. Lars von Trier isn’t pushing the envelope here, he’s ripping it apart.
DVD Double Feature: 1996’s “Breaking The Waves” is not only Lars von Trier’s best film, it’s also one of the best films I’ve ever seen. Newcomer Emily Watson received a Best Actress Oscar nomination as Bess, a God-fearing woman torn between her religious beliefs and her insatiable sexual desires. With Watson’s searing performance here, and Gainsbourg’s shockingly brave performance in “Antichrist” it’s clear that while Lars von Trier may have personal issues with women in general, he certainly knows how to get great work out of his leading actresses.
Michael The Moviegoer
