Antichrist starts with one of the best opening scenes I have watched on film in a good long while... beautifully shot in b/w Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg make passionate love whilst their young son plays in his room. Only the son escapes the confines of his playpen/crib, balances precariously on a window ledge -and as the couple reach orgasm -falls to his death. The shot is beautiful. Horrible.
What follows is how the couple deal (or not deal) with the death of their child. Escaping to the seclusion of a cabin in the middle of a forest Gainsbourg and Defoe unravel in spectacular fashion. There is sex to be had. Violence you'll find uncomfortable. Mutilation to eek over. Talking animals (without the Wes Anderson inspired outfits) and nightmarish dreamscapes that the two characters attempt to circumnavigate over the course of the film. Your senses will be assaulted. But in a very good way I must add!
The direction is magnificent as is the editing and score. Lars von Trier may well be a dick to work for (if previous reports are correct) but if a film like Antichrist is the result then long may he continue treating his actors like shit for arts sake. Dafoe and Gainsbourg are the opposite of a pleasure to watch as they push each others buttons on screen -but that's a good thing -the commitment to their characters is commendable.
Antichrist is graphic, I won't lie, but it IS intelligent. Whilst some scenes in the film might have you covering your eyes they at all times feel necessary. And I do believe the opening scene alone is worth the DVD price but I'm certainly not going to refund you if you disagree. The film is a beautiful exploration of the body and the sick side of nature.
Easily one of the best horrors of last year you should give this one a go. And if you have already, please do get in touch.. I'd love to chat about the Epilogue.
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