Antichrist

Antichrist
Directed by Lars Von Trier
Denmark, 2009

PLOT

One night, a child tragically falls from a window while his parents are having sexual intercourse. Devastated by grief, the couple decides to isolate themselves in a cabin in the Eden forest to try to overcome the pain of their loss. This therapeutic journey, chosen by the man, a psychotherapist by profession, will have devastating effects on the already significantly compromised balance of the couple.

REFLECTIONS

First of all, it is essential to emphasize that Antichrist is the product of a director going through an extremely delicate personal and intimate moment.

The severe depressive crisis that struck Von Trier led him to write a film that is a metaphor for pain, an extreme experience divided into 4 chapters (Grief, Pain, Despair, and The Three Beggars) that gradually suck the viewer into a spiral of madness and, indeed, pain… both physical and mental.

Contrary to what the title might suggest, it’s easy to be misled into expecting yet another film about possessions and the advent of the Antichrist. In fact, there is very little religious content here, except for some biblical references such as Eden and the man and woman (who remain anonymous throughout the film). However, these are not dominant factors and are equally divided with other cultural allegories, such as the three animals (deer, fox, and crow) referencing medieval traditions.

Besides these elements, sex undoubtedly plays a predominant role: the multiple scenes of sexual intercourse and the extreme violence inflicted on sexual organs often push the film into the realm of extreme horror, even torture porn, although any label is extremely reductive and does not do justice to the grandeur of the work.

Sex is depicted by the director as a bringer of misfortune and a punitive tool designed to atone for sins and desires. This concept constantly permeates the viewing experience and manifests in several sequences that are hard to endure and visually striking.

It is a complex, multi-layered film, where one can fully feel the director’s malaise, yet it is also fascinating, hypnotic, and disturbing, thanks to deep direction supported by excellent cinematography and, above all (in my humble opinion), thanks to the monstrous performances of the two lead actors, Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. The film is dedicated to the memory of Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky.

PANDEMONIC MOMENT

To avoid spoilers, I will limit myself to mentioning the scene where He finds the fox with its belly ripped open and uterus exposed; the wounded animal, looking at the man, says, “Chaos reigns.”