NYFF:Antichrist

Antichrist

Director: Lars Von Trier

Venue: Starr Theater, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
(New York Film Festival '09)
Review date: October 2nd, 2009

Before I offer my feelings on Antichrist, I should speak of my reverence for director Lars Von Trier. Von Trier, a Dane, stands as my favorite filmmaker and a huge influence. Dogville, Breaking The Waves, and The Idiots are masterworks. Dancer in the Dark, Manderlay, and The Boss of It All stand slightly below, but are still wonderful motion pictures.

Throughout his work Lars Von Trier has continually made films about men and women. Each of his films include a key relationship involving a man and a woman. More often than not, the woman is an idealist and the man has lost (or never had) his ideals. He has explored these relationships through Greek theatre (Medea), musicals (Dancer in The Dark), melodrama (Dogville, Manderlay) and comedy (The Idiots, The Boss of It All).

Now he has turned to horror for his latest work. Born out of a self-admitted depression, Von Trier's Antichrist bears all the marks of a Von Trier film (beautiful composition mixed with jerky handheld work, density of idea, extreme emotion), but it is by far his purest, most simple film yet. He has paired his theme of man vs. woman down to a story of a couple (literally called He and She), and the process of recovery after their son's death. She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) has become irrational and depressed, and He (Willem Dafoe), an educated and self-assured psychologist, decides that She needs to face her fear. He asks her where she is most scared, and she replies Eden, a forest in which the couple own a cabin (the location of Eden is never clearly established; we are led to believe, based on an envelope, that we are somewhere near Seattle, WA). Once there, He tries to help She face her fear, which leads to chaos, fear, and, ultimately, violence.

It's hard to describe Antichrist in a way that would do justice to the experience of seeing this film; simply put, it is the most harrowing experiences I have ever had in the cinema. The imagery, sound, and extreme violence create a tension that never lets up. At times, I felt myself chuckling, yet there is nothing truly funny about this film (Von Trier has a great sense of humor, and the movie has some laughs, however trying and unclear). I dreaded every second of tension as the film built to its climax. When it concluded, I felt lighter, thrilled, and purged. It was a cathartic experience.

Antichrist's complexity of theme and emotion at times threaten to swallow up the work, yet never do thanks to the precise work of the production team(The sound design is staggering; Anthony Dod Mantle's camera work is, as always, stunning) and the incredible performance of Charlotte Gainsbourg. It is a fearless, moving, and challenging portrait of a woman in grief whose behavior becomes terrifying and incomprehensible. It is an incredible screen performance, and should be remembered come award season. Equal credit must be given to Willem Dafoe for his equally powerful work in a somewhat thankless role.

Yet what this film, and all his films, really boils down to is Von Trier. He is an imaginative and provocative writer-director, and, with this film, he has once again proved his fearlessness. It is brazenly noncommercial, complex (a later blog entry may be devoted to the film's thematic content. It is far too large to be discussed here.), visceral, and challenging. Does everything about the film work? No. There is occasionally clunky dialogue and the film requires a second viewing to digest it's ideas and imagery. The tonal shifts are incredibly strong and hard to take, but ultimately part of what makes the experience so rewarding and cathartic. It is, without a doubt, a milestone in adult oriented cinema and probably Von Trier's most important film.

5/5