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"Irreversible" has the
ability to make you appreciate and cherish
your life, in part because it shows you how
easily your happiness can be taken away. It
is a film that will allow you to love those
around you even more than you already do.
Any film that can do all that is a
masterpiece in my book.
Rape happens. It happens to someone,
somewhere in the world, every minute of
every day. To avert your eyes is to deny
that it exists in your world. To turn away
is to shirk responsibility. This film is
truthful in its depiction of that horror and
the feelings of vengeance that inevitably
follow.
There will be those that are repulsed by
this film, a film that can make 'Requiem for
a Dream' seem like a little girl's
fairytale. If you are one of those who
refuse to watch 'Irreversible' or one who
watches and is offended... then you are
living in a fake fairytale world of your
own. This great French film is as brutally
truthful and poignant as any in recent
memory. It is one of the saddest films I
have ever seen. And yet, because of it's
reverse chronology, the final scenes of
blissful romanticism are some of the most
beautiful and heartbreaking moments ever
committed to the silver screen. This is a
courageous and magnificent artistic
achievement!
'Irreversible' unfolds backwards, much like
2001's 'Memento'. It's not a gimmick... far
from it. The film begins with the revenge
beating of a suspected rapist. It is a
savage and relentless scene that will make
many squirm. It is as graphic and violent a
scene as could be imagined, and at the end,
you will feel like you were the one who had
their skull crushed in. And because we have
no real idea who these characters are, there
is a sense that this is gratuitous and
pointless violence.
Then we go back in time just a few minutes
to the search for the rapist and watch as
the frenzy of revenge consumes a man who is
bent on justice for the rape of his
girlfriend. The next scene is the rape
itself. It is a soul-crushing scene of
relentless intensity that seems to drag on
forever. It makes the earlier beating scene
seem rather tame and almost justified. And
the film continues to track time in reverse
to the beginning of a seemingly innocuous
day filled with hope and love and
tenderness. But of course, unlike the
characters, we are painfully aware of what
awaits them as the day unfolds. It is tear-inducingly
sad to watch these people drift toward an
irreversible destiny.
Monica Bellucci is astonishingly brave. This
performance is as courageous and
accomplished as Diane Lane's role in last
year's thriller 'Unfaithful'. She should be
decorated with every award there is for her
role as Alex. She is terrifyingly scared and
desperately sympathetic in the rape scene...
but her best work comes later in the film
(earlier in the day) as she shares some
tender moments with her lover (Cassel) and
some funny moments with an ex-boyfriend. The
final twenty minutes of the movie are all a
showcase for her... a chance for her to show
that she is capable of magnificent subtlety
and tremendous range. The bedroom scene with
Bellucci and her real life husband, Vincent
Cassel, is as realistic and honest as you
will ever see. There is no need for added
sentiment or melodrama... only truth. Their
interaction is spectacular in these moments.
'Irreversible' is a film about many things:
The Relentlessness of Time; The Cruelty of
Karma; The Inevitability of Destiny; The
Natural Tendency of Revenge; The Randomness
of Luck; The Sadness of Truth. I could go on
and on. This film doesn't give us
convention. It says that sometimes bad
things happen to good people. It shows that
fortune sometimes smiles on evil (Try to
remember every face you see!). The movie
doesn't perpetuate our need for fakery and
fairytales. Bad things happen... but time
will destroy that too.
As the film tells us more than once... "Time
destroys everything."
Director Gaspar Noé and his cast have
created a great film... one that should be
seen by everyone, especially those that
don't want to! This film has the ability to
change you... and how many times can you say
that about your typical fluffy Hollywood
fairytale? This is a masterpiece!
I am sure that this film has reserved a
place in my Top Ten list for 2003, and will
easily entrench itself in my list of All
Time Greats. I love this film.
©
Written by TC Candler
Email Me About This Review |
Director
Gaspar
Noe
Cast
Monica
Bellucci
Vincent Cassel
Albert Dupontel
Jo Prestia
Running Time
97m
Rated
R
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