2009 horror filmRating: 12/20
Plot: A married couple struggling with a personal loss ventures to a cabin in the woods to try to work through their feelings. Things get graphic.
This is difficult viewing. Like The Wacky and Whimsical Whites of West Virginia, this is the sort of movie that I don't seem to be able to handle very well anymore. I can stomach a lot, but there are at least two shots in Antichrist that I just wish weren't there. Certain things seen, it's been said, cannot be unseen, and I'll admit that I flinched more than once during this one. This is a beautifully-filmed movie and the imagery is powerful for the most part, but von Trier seems to enjoy making me (and I suspect most people) really uncomfortable. Trust me--this one is difficult visually and it's difficult emotionally. A beginning black 'n' white montage, thought stunningly poetic and tragically beautiful, is tough, and things just get worse from there. It's also got Daniel Dafoe who I always have trouble believing is a real person. I'm not sure his penis is real either actually. Charlotte Gainsbourg is solid, and both of the leads wrestle bravely with some of the most challenging roles I think I've ever seen. I don't know why I said "leads" there because with the exception of a little kid at the beginning and some faceless walking symbols near the end, there aren't any other characters. Unless animals count. Talking animals. You know, the kind of talking self-cannabalizing foxes that you're used to seeing in a Disney flick. Ants and hawks, weird subtle wobbly cam effects, a CGI grotesque fawn, ominous acorns, and the tree-root/hand thing you see on the poster up there. I didn't get all the symbolism being shoved in my face, probably because the movie stole my will to live. This one pulls no punches.
Wow, I'm surprised you saw a 15/20 in this one. It ranks very near the top of my list of loathsome movies. I thought the glossy look made it look like a fancy jewelry commercial and I didn't buy the story or symbolism at all. I thought the main challenge was that it is overly misogynistic but it was made by an artsy fartsy type who revels in your distaste, so he gets to count it as a victory if you don't like it. I'd agree it was probably challenging for the actors, but I'm not sure graphic sexual torture is worth taking on.
ReplyDeleteI confess we fast-forwarded after the gore setpiece, so maybe we missed some of the best surrealism. But I watched all of the Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia, and the special features! No stomach for closeup clitorectomies, but I can still get into hillbillies on meth.
You convinced me. I'm changing my rating to a 12/20 instead, but I suspect that's still too high for you since you compared it to a jewelry commercial and called it loathsome.
ReplyDeleteActually, I was playing poker the other night and somebody brought up 'A Clockwork Orange,' calling it the "most disturbing movie ever made." I was all like, "Nyuh uh!" and then brought this up. And while I was talking about it, I couldn't think of a single thing I actually liked about it. I would never watch it again, it's extremely pretentious, and it really just seems pretty pointless now that I've had time to let it digest. So I'm glad you commented on this so that I could adjust my rating.
I should watch more jewelry commercials, I guess. I did like how this one looked.