Antichrist (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
One thing is for sure. Whether you love it, hate it, or are confused by it, you've probably never seen any movie like 'Antichrist' (directed by controversial auteur, Lars von Trier) before, & you may not see anything like it again for some time. The story is told in 4 chapters, a prologue, & an epilogue. We are 1st introduced to "He" & "She" (Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg) in the prologue while they're making love - be prepared to witness a penis-into-vagina shot ... in slow-motion, no less. While in the throes of passion, their son, fascinated by snowflakes falling outside, exits his crib, climbs to an open window, & falls out to his death. This segment is filmed beautifully in stark black-&-white, with moody operatic music playing in the background.
The wake of this tragedy unfolds in the next 4 chapters; where the mother's grief & guilt lands her in the hospital. But her therapist husband wants her discharged; intent on treating her depression himself. To confront her darkest fears, & to explore her pain in more intimate ways, the grieving couple retreat to their remote cabin in the woods (named "Eden"), desperate to repair their broken hearts & failing marriage. These 4 chapters chronicle the program he has set-up to help her work through her existential feelings; though, the only carnal way she knows how to deal is to have constant sex (their marriage is built on lust, not love). With time, discoveries are made (like how her current state of mind is influenced by what she was doing in the cabin last summer). And what unfolds in the woods is a crazy mix of surrealism, satanism, & downright hokum.
SPOILERS: In Chapter 1, titled 'Grief', he witnesses a deer who is in mid-stillbirth (with her baby hanging out of her rear). In Chapter 2, titled 'Pain', his psychotherapy backfires, as she starts acting manic. Acorns start pelting their roof (relating to the biblical plagues (?)). He stumbles across a self-disembowelling fox who looks at him & says, "Chaos reigns" (I know ... what?!?!). Clearly, nature has turned nihilistic on the couple. In Chapter 3, titled 'Despair', he finds notes studied by his wife for her thesis on witch-hunts, satanism, misogyny, & the idea that all women are inherently evil. During sex, she attacks him with a wood block, knocking him unconscious, & crushing his pelvic region. Delirious, she masturbates him 'til he ejaculates blood (!). She then drills a hole through his leg & bolts a millstone to it. He awakens, escapes, & finds a foxhole to hide in while she hunts through the forest, screeching for him. In hiding, he comes across a crow that refuses to die (after being pummeled). She finds her husband, buries him alive, then digs him up before death. In Chapter 4, titled 'The 3 Beggars', she - lost in despair - takes a pair of rusty scissors & cuts of her clitoris (as a form of self-punishment). Afterwards, the couple is visited by '3 beggars' (the deer in mid-stillbirth, the talking fox, & the immortal crow - representing grief, pain, & despair). In time, he's able to strangle his wife, & burn her on a pyre. And finally, in the epilogue, upon reaching the top of a hill, he turns & sees the 3 beggars nearby (though, they're vanishing before his eyes into the scenery). And in conclusion, thousands of faceless women start climbing the hill towards him. Whether they pass him by or actually consume him is beyond me. END SPOILERS.
WHAT does it all mean? Beats me. I don't know much about philosophy or religion. And Lars von Trier does not reveal the secrets of his allegories (thanks a lot, buddy). There are probably several interpretations: violence, misanthropy, deception of men, women are servants of Satan, the idea that Christ isn't good, etc. Who knows? Perhaps I will never fully interpret what occurred throughout 'Antichrist'. Given that, all I could do is respond to what I saw. I loved the beauty & haunting quality of the prologue & Chapter 1. Things start going overboard in the 2nd chapter, however. Too much pretentiousness; stuff that is too absurd to ponder. A shame; because it took me out of the spell I was initially under. The characters - so interesting (personality-wise) early on - dissipate into the craziness of the story. The movie becomes about what they're doing, not necessarily why they're doing it. And that was frustrating.
I also wasn't too affected by the controversy surrounding the film - its shock value. I've become desensitized to lots of shocking things. Whether it's my age, the media, technology, or the fact that I'm not someone who's easily surprised, the shocking moments in the film didn't startle me. Sure, when you see a penis, a vagina, graphic sex, injured animals, or brutal violence, one cringes; as I did. The images are stark, but I was not shocked. If you watch the film & don't get the obtuse philosophical allegories (like me), & you don't get shocked either, then there's little else to look for. The performances are VERY brave. Themes on the human condition are intriguing. The cinematography, editing & score are well done. But who goes into a Lars von Trier movie seeking those things? You go in hoping to be completely weirded out & transported - conceptually & intellectually - to another place; and 'Antichrist' failed to consistently take me there.
The wake of this tragedy unfolds in the next 4 chapters; where the mother's grief & guilt lands her in the hospital. But her therapist husband wants her discharged; intent on treating her depression himself. To confront her darkest fears, & to explore her pain in more intimate ways, the grieving couple retreat to their remote cabin in the woods (named "Eden"), desperate to repair their broken hearts & failing marriage. These 4 chapters chronicle the program he has set-up to help her work through her existential feelings; though, the only carnal way she knows how to deal is to have constant sex (their marriage is built on lust, not love). With time, discoveries are made (like how her current state of mind is influenced by what she was doing in the cabin last summer). And what unfolds in the woods is a crazy mix of surrealism, satanism, & downright hokum.
SPOILERS: In Chapter 1, titled 'Grief', he witnesses a deer who is in mid-stillbirth (with her baby hanging out of her rear). In Chapter 2, titled 'Pain', his psychotherapy backfires, as she starts acting manic. Acorns start pelting their roof (relating to the biblical plagues (?)). He stumbles across a self-disembowelling fox who looks at him & says, "Chaos reigns" (I know ... what?!?!). Clearly, nature has turned nihilistic on the couple. In Chapter 3, titled 'Despair', he finds notes studied by his wife for her thesis on witch-hunts, satanism, misogyny, & the idea that all women are inherently evil. During sex, she attacks him with a wood block, knocking him unconscious, & crushing his pelvic region. Delirious, she masturbates him 'til he ejaculates blood (!). She then drills a hole through his leg & bolts a millstone to it. He awakens, escapes, & finds a foxhole to hide in while she hunts through the forest, screeching for him. In hiding, he comes across a crow that refuses to die (after being pummeled). She finds her husband, buries him alive, then digs him up before death. In Chapter 4, titled 'The 3 Beggars', she - lost in despair - takes a pair of rusty scissors & cuts of her clitoris (as a form of self-punishment). Afterwards, the couple is visited by '3 beggars' (the deer in mid-stillbirth, the talking fox, & the immortal crow - representing grief, pain, & despair). In time, he's able to strangle his wife, & burn her on a pyre. And finally, in the epilogue, upon reaching the top of a hill, he turns & sees the 3 beggars nearby (though, they're vanishing before his eyes into the scenery). And in conclusion, thousands of faceless women start climbing the hill towards him. Whether they pass him by or actually consume him is beyond me. END SPOILERS.
WHAT does it all mean? Beats me. I don't know much about philosophy or religion. And Lars von Trier does not reveal the secrets of his allegories (thanks a lot, buddy). There are probably several interpretations: violence, misanthropy, deception of men, women are servants of Satan, the idea that Christ isn't good, etc. Who knows? Perhaps I will never fully interpret what occurred throughout 'Antichrist'. Given that, all I could do is respond to what I saw. I loved the beauty & haunting quality of the prologue & Chapter 1. Things start going overboard in the 2nd chapter, however. Too much pretentiousness; stuff that is too absurd to ponder. A shame; because it took me out of the spell I was initially under. The characters - so interesting (personality-wise) early on - dissipate into the craziness of the story. The movie becomes about what they're doing, not necessarily why they're doing it. And that was frustrating.
I also wasn't too affected by the controversy surrounding the film - its shock value. I've become desensitized to lots of shocking things. Whether it's my age, the media, technology, or the fact that I'm not someone who's easily surprised, the shocking moments in the film didn't startle me. Sure, when you see a penis, a vagina, graphic sex, injured animals, or brutal violence, one cringes; as I did. The images are stark, but I was not shocked. If you watch the film & don't get the obtuse philosophical allegories (like me), & you don't get shocked either, then there's little else to look for. The performances are VERY brave. Themes on the human condition are intriguing. The cinematography, editing & score are well done. But who goes into a Lars von Trier movie seeking those things? You go in hoping to be completely weirded out & transported - conceptually & intellectually - to another place; and 'Antichrist' failed to consistently take me there.