Irreversible (2002)

[K1stpierre]

Discuss

[CloneWars]

An ok movie. I know some people get offended by the prolonged rape scene, but the movie is just ok imo. I do like the whole reverse thing and the camera work is pretty cool as well. 

[CoolioD1]

My go-to first date movie.

[Jake Gittes]

I saw it for the second time last night - first time was in 2010 - and was even more convinced it's kind of incredible. It's as subtle as a fire extinguisher to the face (I'm deeply sorry, I couldn't resist), but it's also just as powerful; a terrifying and heartbreaking film about how quickly, mercilessly and completely a peaceful, blissful life can be destroyed. (In some ways it's one of the most effective horror films ever made, because it literally makes you want to never leave your house again). Everyone's always talking about the first 40 minutes or so, but as horrifying and uncomfortable as they are, Irreversible is a great film largely thanks to its second half, which makes Noé's full intentions clear, turns the film into a full-on tragedy (while perversely getting happier and happier) and features a trio of superb performances by Bellucci, Cassel, and Dupontel. 

Edited September 28, 2014 by Jake Gittes

[The Futurist]

I saw it for the second time last night - first time was in 2010 - and was even more convinced it's kind of incredible. It's as subtle as a fire extinguisher to the face (I'm deeply sorry, I couldn't resist), but it's also just as powerful; a terrifying and heartbreaking film about how quickly, mercilessly and completely a peaceful, blissful life can be destroyed. (In some ways it's one of the most effective horror films ever made, because it literally makes you want to never leave your house again). Everyone's always talking about the first 40 minutes or so, but as horrifying and uncomfortable as they are, Irreversible is a great film largely thanks to its second half, which makes Noé's full intentions clear, turns the film into a full-on tragedy (while perversely getting happier and happier) and features a trio of superb performances by Bellucci, Cassel, and Dupontel. 

 

It was the last film to cause a real shitstorm at Cannes.

At the premiere, poeple experienced real discomfort with the brutal rape scene, boo-ing it, leaving tha amphitheater.

Let s face it, the movie was not for everybody.

Fun fact, in the club in the beginning, you see a guy with a hard on masturbating, it is the director s dick.

And the dick shot you see in the rape scene is digital.

 

By the way, great review, you nailed exactly what the film is about and how Noé achieved this perverse idea of a lost paradise.

[Jake Gittes]

I actually read that most people left by the time the fire extinguisher scene ended. (Before the screening they'd managed to catch word about the rape scene, but nothing about what happens in The Rectum). The French DVD apparently proudly states that 200 out of 2400 people bailed on the movie in Cannes. It wouldn't surprise me if there were more. Your point still stands, anyway.

 

If I were the jury that year I would've given it the Palme d'Or. 

 

Can't wait for Noe's new film next year. It's kinda hard not to love it already. I mean, it's called LOVE. And it's described as a "joyous celebration of sex... that will give guys a hard-on and make girls cry". Yes. Fucking. Please. I'm not being ironic or sarcastic.

[Jake Gittes]

Before the screening they'd managed to catch... nothing about what happens in The Rectum

A great sentence to type, incidentally.

[Ozymandias]

Mostly bad movie.

 

And yes, the gratuitous 10 minute rape scene was laughably overindulgent.

[luna]

filmmakers are too afraid to be overindulgent usually.

 

one of the most urgent films for me to see.

[mattmav45]

I was well-aware of the graphic nature tied to this film going in, and yet it is the beating heart on display that makes this film tick.  It's despicable at times, and yet the material is anything but gratuitous.  And that very fact makes this an unforgettable viewing experience.

 

The film follows the brutal rape and beating of a young girl and the ensuing revenge taken by her friends.  It's of course told in reverse chronological order, and as such the execution could have easily been taken as being a gimmick.  Instead, the execution is ultimately everything as it is used to ultimately devastate and overwhelm the viewer.

 

The opening few minutes of the film take you directly into the beast of the monster.  In many ways it is the climax of the entire film.  Intense, disorienting, and downright brilliant.  The entire first half of the film is in fact full of uncontrolled tension and mayhem, and as a viewer we are thrown directly into it with little to no warning.  It all culminates in one of the more uncomfortable and disturbing scenes you'll come across in cinema.  And yet, it's absolutely needed to fully appreciate what comes next.

 

The second half of the film is light-hearted, almost whimsical in nature.  It is full of playful love and happiness, and serves as a stark contrast to the first half.  The conclusion of the film is downright upbeat, and that's what ultimately makes this film work so damn well.  You must have the beginning for the ending to hold impact, and the execution is such that the two work directly off each other.

 

It's a hard film to talk about because of how it affects one's emotions.  It's a brilliant idea that is milked to damn near affection.  The whimsical nature of the first half is in fact heartbreaking as it serves to provide a stark contrast of what's to come.  Irreversible, indeed.

 

It's hard to recommend this to anyone but a die-hard, but rest assured this is a masterful piece of cinema that provides a one of a kind immersive viewing experience.