Von Trier "Antichrist" + Love

Hi Elizabeth,

Happy Thursday Night. Tonight at the CSUN Cinematheque we saw a film by director Lars Von Trier called "Antichrist".

Good Lordy Moses, now I can say I've really seen it all. Von Trier is a controversial director who is also kind of full of himself, and when he is in the news it's either for one of his provocative films or because he's yet again said something extremely un-PC. I had only ever seen one of his films prior to tonight, "Dogville" with Nicole Kidman (which I watched with my Mom about 12 years ago), and I don't remember much about it except that it was filmed and performed like a stage play. It was very stylised and probably went right by me because the story wasn't very interesting. Still, I am aware that Von Trier is a big name at Cannes and in the art film world in general. He seems to have a bug up his you-know-what about something, but I'm not sure anyone but him knows what it is.

"Antichrist" could be viewed as a straight-up psychological horror film, and if you watched it that way, as horror, it's a very well made and effective film. I was thinking, "Man, if I watched this on Halloween night, I'd be jumping out of my skin". The movie is ostensibly about a couple - the man a therapist, the woman his patient - who lose their small son in a tragic accident. They retreat from their apartment to a cabin in the woods, and that's when it turns into The Blair Witch Project and The Exorcist and Psycho all in one. I mean, it's not like any of those films, but those three give you a general idea. The woman is crazier than a hoot owl, as they used to say. I think I'd rather have Leatherface coming after me than her, in this movie.

Von Trier is an excellent technical director, and he makes use of all kinds of interesting optical techniques to present a very haunting film.

But he also turns up the violence to the max, and adds in a very grotesque sexual element that would make parts of the film either disgusting for some people, or at the very least a turn-off.

For me, well.......I am more or less unshockable, but......there are a couple very gross shots.

As a pure horror film, I'd say it's one of the scariest ever.

But why add the grossness?

And the answer is because it's Von Trier, who - from what I've read about him - insists on rattling people.

But he does so with an agenda that's only clear to him.

If I were a film critic, interviewing the guy, I'd ask:

"So what exactly are you trying to say"?

It's one thing to be obscure, and it's often a good thing, and with the greatest of the art film directors, their message comes through anyhow. But with Von Trier, in the two films I've now seen (and the others I've heard about), he doesn't seem to have a message. He just seems pissed off about something, but you can't figure out what.

To sum up : as a horror film, if you watch it on Halloween, it will scare the hell out of you (and gross you out).

But just as a film/film, as a movie recommendation, I'm afraid I would not recommend watching it to all but the most hardened filmgoers (like me), because of some of the imagery......

Other than that, a normal day. I liked your short clip this morn on FB, and you are right about the girl looking like she's right out of an Anime, it's all in her hair, the way it's combed, and her eyes, and the upward angle you shot it at.

I'm looking forward to seeing the whole thing!

Well, that's all for tonight.

I Love You.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)