Antichrist (2009)

antichrist2 219x300 Antichrist (2009) Zentropa Entertainments
Directed by Lars von Trier
Starring Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Released October 23, 2009

Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” is supposed to shock one to the brink of profundity. If one decides to see this movie, that is what he should keep in mind. It is not a comfortable film to watch and, as the viewer, one is drawn further and further away from his movie watching comfort zone. As the film progresses it drives away from concept story telling to showing graphic occurrences for shock sake.

Antichrist1 300x195 Antichrist (2009) In some ways like Paul Solet’s “Grace” (2009), “Antichrist” is an ambitious attempt from a director who has outstanding visual flair, innovative ideas for cinematography, a sense of framing style and contrast, and unfortunately the need for overkill that seems to void the film of the statement of which its mechanics were intended to lead. Where the weakness of “Grace” comes from thematic overkill, “Antichrist” instead violates all rules of visual temperance that most film incorporates and instead builds visual horror upon horror upon horror. The redundant shock competition of the last third of the film robs for fist part of “Antichrist” of its textured subtly and enjoyable dark macabre theme and leads it to being perverse, one concludes, for the sake of perversion. The images themselves are not offensive to me. “Antichrist” shows a considerable amount of intercourse, fetish brutality, penis, vagina, and even penetration during intercourse. Be forewarned.

Willem Dafore and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as an unnamed couple suffering from the tragic and bizarre loss of their only child. Dafoe is a psychiatrist who believes in a certain method approach to overcoming grief and fear. Gainsbourg is suffering the trauma more profoundly than her husband and eventually agrees to stop gratuitous medication in favor of intense therapy from Dafoe.

That decision leads the couple to nature – or rather Eden – where they take up residence at a secluded cabin to battle the trauma and horror of their loss, the circumstance that caused their loss (the ultimate theme of the movie), and the nature of love, sex, and devotion. Ostensibly anyway.

“Antichrist” has brilliant touches. There is a reoccurring situation involving acorns falling on a tin roof that provides a jarring contrast, like nails on a chalkboard, to the soft and muted scenes it accompanies. It has the affect of driving one near Poe-mad with its intrusion. There are legitimate creepy and atmospheric visuals that, alone, could seep into ones subconscious. There is an interplay of dark and light, muted and saturated, seemingly non sequitur discoveries, and various colors that I believe tie into some meticulously planned meaning meant for discovery.

In fact, there are many allegorical and extensional elements in the film. If I wanted to watch “Antichrist” again, I could deconstruct the various levels of innuendo leading to allegorical meanings and evolving subtext that I believe run like counter melodies throughout the film. Instead I only have the impression of half formed, though thoroughly forced, connections from the visual, spoken, and implied. Many things tie together and, like a Lynch film, it could have been interesting to try to put together the cues. Instead, unlike the subconsciously created elemental occurrence of David Lynch’s craft, “Antichrist” presents a drearily composed and overtly manipulative narrative where the sole desire is to lead the viewer to the exact point that the director wishes him to arrive. That linear desire seemingly born of ego keeps the film from being in any part magical like the open and multilayer Lynch films and instead wallows in its constructed limitations. Instead of shattering hitherto accepted boundaries in film-making due to the natural need to expand those boundaries to tell the story, Lars von Trier tells a story that is constructed to obliterate those boundaries. Instead of elemental or even inspired Art in Film, “Antichrist” is an exercise in composed and altogether forced tawdry mayhem.