I will say, despite what I knew going in, that I was a
little surprised at the uproar this caused at the Cannes Film Festival.
Gruesome, violent, taboo: sure. But if one looks past the blood and gore, this
film is a stunning piece of cinema.
Jack, our hero/villain - depending on how you choose to view
him - is recounting 5 of his most memorable murders to whom we come to find out
is Virgil, author of the famous Aeneid. Virgil tries to instill in Jack a
viewpoint that the only true art in life is love, while Jack sees art as
destruction.
Jack has mega OCD to start the film, but as he continues to
kill, his OCD diminishes. He uses a “shadow between two lampposts” comparison
to explain his lust for murder which is wonderfully told and beautifully
executed.
The first 100 minutes are gripping, as the story flows
seamlessly and is shot beautifully. The last 50 minutes, the story, similarly
to Jack’s mind begin to disintegrate: the cops are onto him, and he’s becoming
exponentially more reckless. We get some useless shots of Von Trier’s personal
love affair with Nazis and Hitler, but all in all they pass by quickly enough.
The last 30 minutes, Jack meets Virgil and the two begin the descent into Hell.
Lots of surrealist cinematography and wonderful artistic shots play out here
until the film’s conclusion.
Overall, this is as close to groundbreaking horror as it
gets, in my opinion. It fits in with the “smart-horror” craze that’s been going
on lately, but executes it in a way that’s more cohesive, less cheesy bullshit
(talking to you It Comes at Night), and completely original. It pushes
boundaries and it’s certainly not for everybody, but it’s definitely worth a
watch if you’re not a one-dimensional snob and it’ll certainly make you think.
9/10
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