"Time Destroys Everything."
I am not going to add pictures to this post since most of the imagery found in "Irreversible" will offend people. If you want to see the images contained in this film, then I advise you to watch the film for yourself. But you have to know what "Irreversible" is all about before you ponder watching it, since the majority of the film is what most people would consider "unwatchable".
This film tells the story of a woman who, after having a fight with her boyfriend at a part, wanders home in an underpass and runs into a man who brutally beats and rapes her. The film is told in reverse-chronological order; thus everything graphic is shown first. The rape is realistic and lenghty; and it's almost as if it INVITES the viewer to look away. The other scenes to caution include the revenge scene in the begining (where one of the victim's friends beats a man's head to a bloody pulp with a fire extinguisher) and the stuff before that (graphic nudity and sexuality is shown in the scene since it's set in a Gay S&M Club). Does it sound like pornography to you? Does it sound depraved? Well, people seem to think "Irreversible" is exploitive; just another film trying to be art through graphic imagery and themes. I think it's one of the best imagery-driven films ever made.
"Irreversible" is certainly no masterpiece; since it's not for the faint of heart. The only flaw is its appeal, as well as the little moments when it felt less artistic. But director Gaspar Noe wants to shake up his audience, and he does so not only through the rape, the beating, and every other thing in this film worth cautioning. He adds shaky cinematography to the mix; and it's almost as if he wants us to barf. It's a film of unease, and the controversy surrounding is it huge but, perpostrous.
Some people don't want to watch a lengthy rape on-screen. I get that; neither do I. Nobody should "want" to watch that kind of thing, but yet again I can totally understand someone wanting to watch this film. There's a certain artistic flare to Noe's film that paints a pretty, if not grotesque, picture. "Irreversible" is indeed art; a cinematic acid trip that you most certainly will not forget. And that could go either way. Now, most people will detest this film. They will find it nigh impossible to watch. But I survived "Irreversible" and as with all graphic films, I felt good that I had watched it. This film is magnificent in its craft, and I conclude that while it is graphic, it is also realistic. Pornography knows no morality and exists for pleasure. "Irreversible" is not pornography, and it's hard to imagine a sane human being gaining any pleasure from the film. It's a smart, taut French thriller. It really makes me anticipate watching anything else Noe has got out on the (black) market.
Do not watch this film if you are squeamish; it will without a doubt shake you up real good. For me, it worked as art. I found it very emotionally powerful; as a film studying the horror of rape should be. Rape happens in the dark corners of the earth, and this film simply wants to explore that. I don't see the point of complaining about this film, since art is art, and nobody should have the right to try and ruin one man's genius. Noe is a sensualist; and he will always have trouble. But when people call "Irreversible" pornography, I get really upset. Everything in the film is meant for artistic purposes; whether they be out of imagery or out of emotion. The film has morals, and it deserves to exist. See it if you can stomach it. Just go in knowing that it's no easy ride, but then again, some of the best films aren't.
I am not going to add pictures to this post since most of the imagery found in "Irreversible" will offend people. If you want to see the images contained in this film, then I advise you to watch the film for yourself. But you have to know what "Irreversible" is all about before you ponder watching it, since the majority of the film is what most people would consider "unwatchable".
This film tells the story of a woman who, after having a fight with her boyfriend at a part, wanders home in an underpass and runs into a man who brutally beats and rapes her. The film is told in reverse-chronological order; thus everything graphic is shown first. The rape is realistic and lenghty; and it's almost as if it INVITES the viewer to look away. The other scenes to caution include the revenge scene in the begining (where one of the victim's friends beats a man's head to a bloody pulp with a fire extinguisher) and the stuff before that (graphic nudity and sexuality is shown in the scene since it's set in a Gay S&M Club). Does it sound like pornography to you? Does it sound depraved? Well, people seem to think "Irreversible" is exploitive; just another film trying to be art through graphic imagery and themes. I think it's one of the best imagery-driven films ever made.
"Irreversible" is certainly no masterpiece; since it's not for the faint of heart. The only flaw is its appeal, as well as the little moments when it felt less artistic. But director Gaspar Noe wants to shake up his audience, and he does so not only through the rape, the beating, and every other thing in this film worth cautioning. He adds shaky cinematography to the mix; and it's almost as if he wants us to barf. It's a film of unease, and the controversy surrounding is it huge but, perpostrous.
Some people don't want to watch a lengthy rape on-screen. I get that; neither do I. Nobody should "want" to watch that kind of thing, but yet again I can totally understand someone wanting to watch this film. There's a certain artistic flare to Noe's film that paints a pretty, if not grotesque, picture. "Irreversible" is indeed art; a cinematic acid trip that you most certainly will not forget. And that could go either way. Now, most people will detest this film. They will find it nigh impossible to watch. But I survived "Irreversible" and as with all graphic films, I felt good that I had watched it. This film is magnificent in its craft, and I conclude that while it is graphic, it is also realistic. Pornography knows no morality and exists for pleasure. "Irreversible" is not pornography, and it's hard to imagine a sane human being gaining any pleasure from the film. It's a smart, taut French thriller. It really makes me anticipate watching anything else Noe has got out on the (black) market.
Do not watch this film if you are squeamish; it will without a doubt shake you up real good. For me, it worked as art. I found it very emotionally powerful; as a film studying the horror of rape should be. Rape happens in the dark corners of the earth, and this film simply wants to explore that. I don't see the point of complaining about this film, since art is art, and nobody should have the right to try and ruin one man's genius. Noe is a sensualist; and he will always have trouble. But when people call "Irreversible" pornography, I get really upset. Everything in the film is meant for artistic purposes; whether they be out of imagery or out of emotion. The film has morals, and it deserves to exist. See it if you can stomach it. Just go in knowing that it's no easy ride, but then again, some of the best films aren't.
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