Summary:
French dancers gather for an all-night celebration and soon learn their sangria is laced with LSD.
My Thoughts:
Gaspar Noe (“Love”, “Enter the Void”) is a director that I am more aware of due to the controversy surrounding his films as opposed to the quality of his films. Much like Lars von Trier (“Nymphomaniac Part I”, “The House that Jack Built”), Noe has built a career around shocking people. I find filmmakers like these ‘provacatuers‘ can make great films, but they can also make movies that I have no interest in seeing. I really enjoy “Enter the Void” even though it is a rough movie to watch, but I know that I will probably never go out of my way to see “Irreversible” because I’ve heard so many negative reactions about the brutal rape scene in that film, and that’s just something that I personally feel I need to see.
When this film came first came out, I approached it’s release somewhat cautiously. With most Noe films, I’ve decided I’d let someone else watch it first, and if they say its worth seeing, I’d give it a shot. One of my trusted cinephile friends saw this and said that it was rough, but it was all right, and so, I decided I would brave Noe’s rough waters once more to see if he had anything new to offer.
In many ways, this film impresses me. I think that from a technical aspect, this movie is pretty great. There are a lot of shot in this film that last for a long time; upwards of ten minutes. Many of these shots traverse from one room to another, using different lighting in each room, creating different atmospheres and following different characters and storylines within a single shot. Some of the effects they achieve within the single shots are also really impressive, while some of those effects are drawn out far too long. There’s a shot near the end of the film where the camera inverts for a long time; so long the effect becomes headache inducing. Don’t get me wrong, most of this film looks great, which is pretty much the only reason I gave this film a 3/5 star. Unfortunately for this film, my praise only extends to the way it looks.
The story is paper-thin; I actually read the shooting script for this movie was five pages long, and the rest was improvised. I can absolutely believe that. A lot of this film is just wandering from one room to another, and while its visually interesting thanks to the colorful lights and the weird contortionist-dancers that turn the whole place into a hellish nightmareland, the visuals do nothing to advance the story. Watching Sofia Boutella (“Hotel Artemis”) wander about screaming in one room before wandering about and screaming in another room isn’t particularly compelling as far as story goes. There are a few vignette/episodic moments that work as insights into some people’s characters, but I struggle to say that anyone really had growth or development. Very few things happen over the course of this film. I’m glad it is as short as it is, because it makes it much easier to digest (it’s not 2 ½ hours long, like “Enter the Void”). Really, this film feels like ‘Trippy Visuals the Movie’. Noe knows his audience (stoners) and he panders to them. Why else would he have a ribbon dancer twirling about for five minutes at the beginning of the movie if not to wow the kids on drugs? If you’re looking for a movie without substance but a ton of cool looking visuals, you could watch this.
Verdict:
Of Noe’s films, I’ve only seen this and “Enter the Void”, and I must admit I liked “Void” far more. While I didn’t hate this movie, I felt like I was just watching a bunch of people wander from room to room for an hour and a half, occasionally screaming or doing messed up things. Technically, this movie is great, but unless you’re a filmmaker or have a genuine interest in how films are made, I can’t imagine the average viewer cares too much about how technically amazing a movie is.
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