| |
|
Looking on the board for discussion of the movie, I found this but couldn't find anything from people who'd actually seen the film, and I feel like this is a film with myriad things to discuss.
The film was technically absolutely amazing. I was wowed by the first shot, and after a couple of mintues, I was thinking, "There hasn't been a cut yet," then a couple of minutes later the same thing, and about ten minutes in, I realized there would be no cuts, in the traditional sense. I'd seen this sort of thing before, in some Michel Gondry videos, but never on the grand scale that this movie was. The long takes were all really interesting, and I feel the technique allowed him to do the extended rape scene without
it feeling like it was showing off. The scene in the Rectum was brutal, because of the extended buildup without cuts, the sound, and Hell-like images all combined to create one of the most uncomfortable sequences of all
time. I feel like this style of shooting must have been hell for the actors, doing the eight minute rape scene would have been brutal once, but if there's some kind of error, to do multiple takes, it could not have been
good.
The other thing that was technically astonishing was the way the camera moved. It was like nothing else I'd ever seen, just floating around, and rotating through space so smoothly. It was a completely unique style, very cool.
I wish I had gone in knowing less about the film, even knowing the fact that the film is about a rape ruins some of the first sequence. I would have loved to see it having no idea why Marcus and Pierre were hunting someone in
the first scene. But, it was still brutal, the fire extinguisher killing was some of the most "real" violence I've ever seen on film. That and the rape scene really drove home the unglamourous aspects of violence, and what it does to people.
The structure was critical to defining the movie, and I think really captured that feeling after a tragedy of wondering what you could have done differently. I'm sure Alex's boyfriend will always be haunted by the fact
that he let her go out alone, and so will Pierre. The structure conveyed that, and also showed the futility of revenge, by removing the vengeance from an emotional context.
However, it's far from a perfect movie. I feel like the characters exist solely to be manipulated, they don't see that real. It's more of an intellectual exercise than a character piece.
That said, I will defend the film against people who claim it's excessive, or on the borderline of pornography. The nine minute rape scene, with no cuts, really drives home the horrific nature of the act. You see the entire thing, and it's unrelenting. I also like the fact that it doesn't tell you what to focus on. It's not like a lingering closeup of her face is used to show the pain, it's just there, mundane and everyday. In theory, it sounds excessive, but in practice, the scene is crucial to make the audience understand what Marcus was going through earlier in the movie.
So, has anyone else seen it? |
|
|
