Antichrist

[iv3rdawG]

Easily the most talked about movie to premiere at Cannes so far this year is Lars von Trier's Antichrist. The film is about a couple who, after the death of their child, retreat to a cabin in the woods where they encounter strange and terrifying occurrences. Being premiered about only 4 or 5 days ago, I cant remember a film that's been getting this much weird buzz. Here are some articles that came out after the screening:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i07c80a70350aca723f6a459803f41729

CANNES -- Declaring himself "the world's greatest director," 53-year-old Dane Lars von Trier defended his enfant terrible title with aplomb at the Monday news conference for his Competition shocker "Antichrist."

It started with a shouting match between Daily Mail columnist Baz Bamigboye and other members of the press corps, with Bamigboye demanding von Trier "explain and justify" the explicit sexual gore in his film and another journo in the audience yelling "He's an artist, you're not. He doesn't have to explain anything!"

And he didn't. On questions both abusive and toadying, von Trier maintained his autistic savant persona, deliberately avoiding any explanation of "Antichrist," alternatively mocking or dismissing his interrogators.

"I don't have to explain anything. You are all my guests here, not the other way round," von Trier said. "Anyway, I don't think about the audience when I make a film. I don't care. I make films for myself."

Von Trier did defend his use of nausea-inducing imagery -- including a bloody masturbation scene and a leg-drilling sequence that could have been cribbed from the "Saw" franchise -- as artistic "honesty," saying to leave the shockers out would have been "like lying."

He also insisted he was not playing a joke on the audience but meant everything, from the film's talking fox to the closing dedication to Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, a dedication that drew howls of laughter at last night's press screening, to be taken seriously.

But, as always, von Trier tried to have it both ways, joking that it was "a bit of a pity" one can't actually kill people on screen and putting the blame for the most extreme scenes on lead actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.

"Charlotte took it too far. I tried to, but I just couldn't stop her," von Trier quipped.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/18/lars-von-triers-antichris_0_n_204597.html

The opening question at the subsequent press conference was an angry demand that von Trier justify having made the film, about a couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) who retreat to their woodland cabin to heal after the death of their child. Out in the wilderness, malevolent nature _ animal, vegetable and most of all human _ soon rears its head.

Some audience members recoiled at the film's relentless tension and almost unbearably explicit scenes of violence, including genital mutilation.

"I thought I had my head down a lavatory, frankly," said Baz Bamigboye of Britain's Daily Mail, the journalist who asked von Trier to justify his film.

IFC picked up the film today, who are known not to really care about a films rating and release the film unrated or NC-17 (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days). Reports are saying that von Trier will cut the film so it's "more commercially palatable in the United States and other countries". Lame.

[PlayMSTie]

So, I'm guessing this one won't be riffed . . . 

[iv3rdawG]

So, I'm guessing this one won't be riffed . . . 

When searching for a already existing thread..

http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php/topic,3391.0.html

[Tripe]

Ah Charlotte, so pretty when shagging, so, hmmm, when not.

[SmilinJackRoss]

Von Trier is one of those director's that I cannot get behind.  Like David Lynch, his stuff is too esoteric for me to appreciate.  This Antichrist flick sounds like the exact opposite of anything I would want to watch.

Pass.

[Trumpysgirl]

I really didn't need to see Defoe in that position.....or at all.

[Relaxing Dragon]

I'm interested in seeing this one, and I'm also trying to avoid reading anything about it beyond the faintest plot summary (apparently some news stores gave away key plot elements, so I'm sticking to the safe side with this one).

[iv3rdawG]

Charlotte Gainsbourg won best actress at Cannes.

[torgosPizza]

I actually think it looks great. Hopefully I can get my hands on the original cut, though.

[iv3rdawG]

Yeah, I want to see it too. And I really hope IFC doesn't make him cut it.

[Johnny Unusual]

I'm not a big fan of Von Trier (though I did enjoy... re, respect Dancer in the Dark) but this definitely looks interesting. I'll probably cover my eyes when the genital mutilation.

[PlayMSTie]

So, I'm guessing this one won't be riffed . . . 

When searching for a already existing thread..

http://forum.rifftrax.com/index.php/topic,3391.0.html

Different Antichrist. 

[daltysmilth]

I haven't seen any of this guy's work to know whether or not he's any good, but from the sounds of it, he definitely has the attitude of an artist.  All the posturing and apparent contempt for the audience...

But then Uwe Boll has the same attitude, so that doesn't mean much.

[anais.jude]

I loved Dogville

[Variety of Cells]

I loved Dogville as well, but it gave me a headache and made me sick to my stomach.  I get motion sickness... though strangely only when watching shaky hand held.  From the looks of the trailer his camera operator has managed to come out on top in his battle with epilepsy, so maybe I'll actually be able to watch this one with my eyes open.