(2009) *****I've found my star of 2010. That one film that disturbs me in that special way. The film I know I'll be mulling over for the next week or so. I'm writing this review immediately after viewing “Antichrist” hoping to convey the full impact this film had on me. Directed by Lars von Trier (The Kingdom, Dancer in the Dark) this intense film completely caught me off guard. I probably should have had a clue being a fan of his work but this is so much more, well, fucked up! The film is separated into 4 segments with a prologue and epilogue as well. The prologue set beautifully to Lascia ch'io pianga' is unsettling and poetic at the same time. It takes us through the tragic loss of a small child while the unaware parents(Willem Dafoe & Charlotte Gainsbourg) make love. The entire scene is played in slow motion prolonging the agony of the inevitable. Trying to deal with the excruciating grief, the couple retreat to a remote cabin in the woods to work on healing. I'm at a complete loss for words, what takes place in that cabin is a total mind fuck.
The surroundings are eerie and fantastical. The sex scenes are x-rated. As a matter of fact most of the film is pretty much x-rated. The camera work is so artistic, it feels like a dream. This is one of the reasons I love Lars von Trier, he really makes you feel like you are in another realm. But not in a futuristic or fantasy type realm. It's the same as this world just stranger and slightly off. This works so well for horror. There is also a certain sense of elegant realism as well. I know that sounds conflicting but it's there just the same. It's films like this that make me wish I had Jordan's flair for words.
I know this won't be a five star film for everyone but it struck a home run for me. It left me feeling disturbed and disjointed much like I felt after viewing “Martyrs”. When I finish watching a film and I feel like I am carrying the weight of it around on my head, that tells me it was something special. This did it for me and I think I might even be done for the night. Time to sit back and let my mind process what it just saw. Daaaaaaaaaaaamn.
