An Unnerving and Pessimistic Masterpiece

Irreversible (2003)

Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible is about as polarizing a film as you can get.  People have walked out on it.  People have denounced it as pretentious and vile trash.  People have described it as mere exploitation disguised as subversive art.  It has been called misogyny and it has been called pro-violence.  What it is and what it means to be is an authentic rape/revenge tragedy film, and content like that just wouldn’t excel if it didn’t make you squirm toward questioning its motives.  It may rationalize violence and provide an explanation but it is by no means a film that exploits or supports it.  Noe has since run out of gas with his seven year feature film hiatus that finally came to an end with the recent mediocre indie Enter the Void.  It makes me think that Irreversible was the sole product of his most generative phase, and it shows.  The concept and writing here stick in your mind despite taking second place to the often appalling but obviously effective visuals.  It makes me think Irreversible may come from a lifetime of brainstorming.

One of the opening frames of the movie's most cardinal and most horrifying scene.

The movie counts backwards from one tragedy and to another as we see what caused the first inexplicable and horrific sequence to occur, and then each and every scene before that. It is intense, entertaining, shocking and edgy as hell. Films like this push the bar far enough and are done with just enough mainstream appeal and raw talent that they gain some steam and attention; and then they permanently transform how we view, enjoy, create, and even despise cinema. This film is about as ugly as you can get but doesn’t seem to wallow in any of its content to the point where it could be deemed gratuitous, no matter how long it really lingers. It’s easy for some to turn away and say this is awful garbage for showing you things you do not want to see (e.g. realistic rape and murder) but it is still important to allow total freedom of expression; and Noe’s work, whether intentionally or not, makes him an advocate for such expression. He is also technically as strong as anyone in Hollywood, but is fully aware that computerized special effects often need restraint to be truly effective.  His discretion in that regard is innovative and he deserves credit there.

A brief brightly colored and peaceful moment in Irreversible.

The infamous rape sequence that led to many viewers walking out of the theater seems to have an amazing effect on the audience. I have a mini-cinema in my house and I show this movie to people as often as I can. The same thing happens. Just as the rape scene reaches a point that makes us uncomfortable enough to consider getting angry with the movie and leave the room, it ends. I’m inclined to say that this is intentional. Rape should never be expressed in a film in any other way, and neither should murder for that matter. It should make us uncomfortable and scared.  It should conjure real life visions of like-wise sequences if we’ve ever been so unfortunate to experience them.  Most movie-goers today though are so desensitized to violence and its consequences, that it takes a sequence like this to get under our skin. Make no mistake about it, if a movie that handles subject matter like this gets under your skin then it has done it’s job better than most.  Irreversible is a hugely effective indictment of the vile things that any humans, even good ones, are capable of doing to one another.

My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.

Advertisement