Chaos Reigns as Lars von Trier Goes to Hell
Written: Nov 07 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Von Trier's Direction/Script, Mantle's Cinematography, Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, Dafoe & Gainsbourg.
Cons: None but Themes & Images Might Be Too Extreme For Audiences.
The Bottom Line: Antichrist is Lars Von Trier's Most Confrontational & Provocative Film of his Career.
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| thevoid99's Full Review: Antichrist |
Throughout his career in filmmaking, Lars von Trier has been an individual interested in pushing the envelope whether it's on filmmaking techniques or in themes. From his melodramatic depiction of women in his Golden Hearts trilogy of films like Breaking the Waves, Idioterne, and Dancer in the Dark to troubled world of Europe in his Europa trilogy. The Danish-born director is considered to be one of the finest directors of his generation and in the international film scene. Then came 2003's Dogville that was the first of a three-part trilogy about America, a place that von Trier hasn't visited due to his phobias of traveling. The film was set during the depression as it discussed themes about American foreign policy that received mixed reviews. The follow-up film Manderlay released two years later received similar controversy but both films didn't do well commercially.
In 2006, following the disappointing reception of Dogville and Manderlay that forced the third film Wasington to be shelved along with the lukewarm response to the von Trier-scribed film Dear Wendy by Thomas Vinterberg. Lars von Trier went ahead and did a small film in the Danish comedy The Boss of It All to a degree of acclaim but was relegated to limited screening in art house theaters. During this time, von Trier was working on a project that was different from his other films but was dealing with depression during development and pre-production for the project. Yet, a period of psychoanalysis and work during filming despite some problems finally got von Trier to release what is probably his most controversial film to date entitled Antichrist.
Written and directed by Lars von Trier, Antichrist tells the story of a couple in mourning following the tragic death of their child. Retreating to the woods, the couple encounter strange occurrences where the husband tries to delve into his troubled wife's state of mind as she is working on a thesis about gynocide. Inspired by the films of the late, great Russian auteur Andrei Tarkovsky whom he dedicated the film to. Starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Antichrist is a shocking, mesmerizing, and haunting film from Lars von Trier.
Following the death of their infant child, a man (Willem Dafoe) and a woman (Charlotte Gainsbourg) are grieving as the woman is in a state of shock as she feels guilty over what had happened. After a month in the hospital, the woman returns home still feeling guilty as she tries to destroy herself as her husband, a therapist, tries to deal with her troubled behavior. Even as he gets her to reveal her deepest fears which turns out to be the forest of Eden where she had previously spent her summer with the baby while working on a thesis on gynocide. The couple goes to Eden to continue the therapy as the man encounters a deer while the wife is haunted by everything that is going on in the forest.
After arriving into the cabin, the therapy continues as the woman remains troubled as he gets her to confront her fears of the forest by walking on the grass that she claims burn her feet. Yet, the environment proves to be troubling as the man encounters a fox who says the words "chaos reigns". While the wife is seemingly better, the man is troubled by what he had encountered while he finds material of his wife's thesis on gynocide that troubles him. An autopsy report from the man's coat was found as some revelations over the baby was revealed. Even photographs of the child showed further proof as the woman becomes troubled to the point of a manic state where she attacks him. Things become more troubled as the man finds a crow in a hole as the woman claims that it was her fault their baby died as the two await for the three beggars to arrive for someone to die.
The film is about a lot of things that swirl around the mind of Lars von Trier. Particularly the theme of death as it revolves around two people dealing with the death of their baby. Yet, the film also explores the idea of psychotherapy, misogyny, witchcraft, and all sorts of things as it is all taken into the dark mind of von Trier. The film is structured into four chapters plus a prologue and an epilogue. The prologue is about the tragedy of what happened during which the couple is having passionate sex in graphic detail. Then the story happens for the next four chapters that are titled Grief, Pain (Chaos Reigns), Despair (Gynocide), and The Three Beggars.
While it is known that von Trier is a prankster, he's also a man that will delve into his own phobias and troubled mind into a story. In the two characters he created, there's a man trying to get into his wife's mind and help her despite the fact that she's not a fan of psychotherapy. Yet, what he finds out isn't just the fact that his wife is troubled but he himself, is someone that might have taken on a role where he's gone too far. The woman is an extremely grief-stricken person who feels responsible for the death of their child as well as the belief from her thesis that all women are evil that has caused her to become psychotic.
While it is a known fact that the death of a child will drive emotions wild, when someone feels responsible for causing the death. It can lead to reactions that are shocking. When the story develops as it turns into a surreal, psychological horror film with some graphic depictions of sexual images. It becomes something way intense in terms of its presentation and thematic tones. While people might question on whether von Trier is a misogynist, it only diminishes what von Trier is trying to say about sexuality, gender, and gynocide. During the scenes in the third chapter of Despair (Gynocide), the man is shocked to what his wife's thesis is saying about the witch burnings and such of the past. There's a lot of things audience might disagree with von Trier is saying on the film but how it works for the story is unquestionably mesmerizing.
The direction of von Trier shows him breaking the rules of his previous Dogme 95 style of no artificial lighting, no visual effects, and no genre. For this film, he goes for a entrancing visual style where the film's prologue and epilogue are in black-and-white, in slow-motion, and to the aria/score piece of Lascia ch'io piagna from Handel's opera Rinaldo. For the rest of the film, it's done in color with scenes shot in a fog, swirling camera images, and striking compositions to reveal the mysterious world of Eden. While some of it is presented in a hand-held style, the zoom shots and visual effects scenes are quite enchanting in its beauty amidst this ugliness that is surrounding the characters.
The way von Trier presents his camera in more intimate scenes is that he goes deep into the fragile relationship of the characters inside this small cabin. Yet, there's a lot of graphic sex scenes in which there is one shot of penetration that is performed by body doubles. Yet, a lot of it isn't exactly for fun but rather in a disturbing context as it revolves into the emotional troubles of the couple. There's also some graphic, violent material that involves genitalia that pushes the extremes of what is obscene. While it may not reach into the world of American torture-porn horror films, it's presentation and what it does to serve the story is extreme in itself. What von Trier does with this film isn't just this haunting, metaphysical tale of death, horror, violence, and gynocide. It's a film that reaches into the dark soul of humanity as von Trier creates in what is probably his most extreme and provocative film of his career.
Longtime von Trier collaborator Anthony Dod Mantle does amazing work in the film's cinematography. Mantle's photography for the prologue and epilogue scenes are beautiful in its black and white look with elements of gray as it is very striking and powerful. For the rest of the film, the color is a mixture of grey, green, and blue to emphasize on the film's bleak, dreamy tone as it also features wonderful hand-held work as a lot of the forest scenes were shot in Germany. Mantle, who had just won an Oscar for his work in Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire, truly brings a haunting yet surreal visual style to the film that outdoes all of his previous work with Boyle and von Trier.
Editor Anders Refn and co-editor Asa Mossberg does excellent work with the film's rhythmic, stylized editing with the use of slow-motion speeds and jump-cuts to create an atmosphere for the film. Production designer Karl Juliusson and art director Tim Pannen do fine work with the look of the cabin and apartment that the couple lives in while finding some great locations around the woods of Germany. Sound editor Kristian Eidnes Andersen does great work in the sound of winds, falling acorns, and such to create a chilling, stark atmosphere of Eden as it surrounds the characters. The visual effects by editor Anders Refn and Peter Hjorth is phenomenal in the look for Eden plus the visual face of the fox and other images in the film as it works for the dark tone of the film.
The performances of Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg is truly powerful in their individual roles while the two together, are one hell of a combo as they have great chemistry and tension with one another. While Dafoe is mostly calm throughout the film as he plays the role of a therapist, his facial expressions of a man haunted by his surroundings and his grief-stricken wife is definitely one of his finest roles to date. Yet, it's Charlotte Gainsbourg that is the real heart and soul of the film as troubled woman becoming unraveled by guilt as she becomes psychotic and violent. While it's a showy, over-the-top role that has her nude for nearly half of the film. It's definitely a performance for the ages as Charlotte Gainsbourg definitely creates an unforgettable impression.
When it premiered in May of 2009 at the Cannes Film Festival, it divided and shocked audiences of its imagery and graphic violent and sexual content. The film was considered to be the most controversial film of von Trier's career as well as the history of the festival. Critics accused von Trier of lots of things as he declared himself the greatest filmmaker in the world. While it won some anti-prizes and lots of anger, the film walked away with the best actress prize to Charlotte Gainsbourg. Yet, the controversy over the film is still in the minds of audiences and critics as it is considered a film that people either loved or hated.
To say Antichrist is a great film would only baffle people who would believe that it is the exact opposite of that. Well, that is true. It is a disgusting film. It is obscene, it's horrific, it's downright pretentious, it's blasphemous, it's evil. Yet, it is also beautiful, enchanting, haunting, and downright provocative. Only a Lars von Trier film can do that in creating two sides that are split with opinions while there's even room for a middle ground for those unsure of what they just saw. It's not a film for conservative filmgoers or mainstream audiences. It's not a film for horror films. It's a film that is for those interested in a challenge and are willing to see something that is unlike anything. In the end, Antichrist is a hell of a f*cking masterpiece from Lars von Trier who not only puts himself in the list of the greatest filmmakers of all-time. He also raises the bar of what is shocking and what is obscene as Antichrist is a film that lives up to its name and shock value.
Lars von Trier Reviews:
Europa Trilogy: The Element of Crime - Epidemic - Europa
The Kingdom: (Kingdom I) - (Kingdom II)
Golden Hearts Trilogy: Breaking the Waves - Dogme #2/The Idiots - Dancer in the Dark
USA-Land of Opportunities Trilogy: Dogville - Manderlay - (Wasington)
Miscellaneous: Tranceformer-A Profile on Lars von Trier - The Purified
Non-Trilogy Films: (Medea) - The Five Obstructions - The Boss of It All
Recommended:
Yes
Movie Mood: Die-hard Fans Only
Viewing Method: Other
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.
Worst Part of this Film: Nothing
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Epinions.com ID:
thevoid99
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Member: Steven Flores
Location: Smyrna, Georgia
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