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N.Y.F.F 47th

Antichrist

Reviewed by Nobuhiro Hosoki

 

The Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark) had been suffering from depression, being incapable of work for a little while. But in "Antichrist" he has made a comeback with a true cinematic experiment.

"Antichrist" is a boldly personal film, tackling its subject with faith, fear, and humane nature. A stunning slow motion prologue leads into a scene where a therapist (Willem Defoe) and his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) make love in shower as their unattended child crawls out of his crib, climbs out an open window, and falls to the snow-covered ground.

This tragic event causes intense guilt feelings in the couple. The husband becomes angered by the amount of drugs prescribed by his wife's doctor and decides to take charge of her recovery. They retreat to their cabin in a pristine forest in the mountains, the place where she had once spent alone with her son.

While he is saving the life and sanity of his partner, he has her confront her fears in a series of increasingly corny exercises. Slowly, as she exhibits her animalistic and emotional nature, she is seen slipping into that madness. Her uncontrollable deadly rage is apparently bent on killing them both. He, too, descends into his wife's entrapped horror.

The film is a powerful story of grief and loss. Lars von Trier's approach may give audiences trouble stomaching some of the graphic violence and sexual content, and makes it difficult to empathize with the characters, but never loses sight of his goal to offer a visceral examination of real emotional pain. And the actors are up to Von Trier's challenge, delivering top-notch performances that will leave a significant mark on their careers.

Written and directed by Lars von Trier; director of photography, Anthony Dod Mantle; edited by Anders Refn; music by Handel; production designer, Karl Juliusson; produced by Meta Louise Foldager; released by IFC Films. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes. This film is not rated.

Cast: Willem Dafoe (He), Charlotte Gainsbourg (She) and Storm Acheche Sahlstrom (Nic).