MOVIE REVIEW: Antichrist (2009)

Hello friends! Sorry it's been awhile, but between work and training for my new promotion to Pharmacy Technician, real life has been catching up to me a lot faster than usual (and leaving me with less leisure time). So I'll be doing my best to catch up on my writing this week, now that I have a little bit more "me" time.

About a week ago, I watched this offering from Lars Von Trier and the Criterion Collection: Antichrist, and I will say, despite two scenes of disturbing footage, the film is probably the most disgusting thing I've ever seen since Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Antichrist is a harrowing tale about a bereaved couple who retreat to a getaway cabin in the woods after the accidental death of their son. What they begin to experience, aside from the wife's depression-induced hysterics, involve a series of unsettling visions that suggest the woods is haunted by some mysterious force that threatens to consume the unsuspecting couple in their wake.

Antichrist sounded interesting to me on paper, but the execution of it was not entirely to my liking. After a very provocative silent black-and-white opening with the son's death punctuated by graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, the film takes a slow, quiet course that's periodically interrupted by an argument, or a sex scene, and later on, disturbing acts of violence. It goes without saying, I was bored with the gaunt, nihilistic approach to drama. Charlotte Gainsbourg is just depressed and crazy throughout, and Willem Dafoe seems tired and stoic. For the film's first hour and thirty minutes, the only thing that kept my attention were the occasional vision, punctuated by dark, fantastical imagery.

But here's where things really hit the fan, by making me gag and sending my libido into an all-time low. The following description is rather graphic, so I'll let you highlight the rest. To save any of you from the trouble of enduring such disgusting scenes I'll just point out - there's a moment where Gainsbourg, enraged at her husband, takes a 2x4 to his testicles and masturbates him to the point where he ejaculates blood. She later on, severs her own clitoris with a pair of scissors at the apex of her madness. I swear, I am not making any of this up. For these scenes alone, the film has done really nothing to make an impression other than physically nauseate me with disturbing imagery. While I can't deny it's artistic qualities, the tepidness of the story and the violence are enough for me to deny a recommendation for Antichrist, unless you're into these kinds of works.

4/10

Peace,
- Jon