Crush, kill, destroy

69. "Antichrist"
I did not like this film. I enjoyed aspects of it. The cinematography at certain points was awe inspiring. Similar techniques used later in the film made me despise what I was watching. Cinematography alone can not make a good film.

An alternate title could be "109 Minutes of Proof That Lars von Trier Hates Women." I can not explain this without giving away key elements to the just released film. If you would like to know why, just ask me in person.

I've had two conversations about this film since seeing it. One was about the story. I said the story was weak. My friend said the story didn't matter, it was an excuse to make a dream film. I somewhat agree. As a dream film, a piece of art that uses story as an excuse to showcase interesting visuals, it was decent. I've seen better. I don't think it's just a dream film. Von Trier made a film about good and evil in nature. Sure, the dialogue probably only takes up 30 pages (most scripts are one page per minute), but the is a message and it's clear.

The other conversation I had about the film was about the violence. It was realistic to a point. When characters are brutally attacked, the actors do a fine job portraying pain. Nonetheless, it would be impossible for them to survive let alone walk after certain attacks. (I'm not going to give away what happens. I will say that the violence is why this film is garnering much of its press.) The violence, while important to the film, did not form my opinion on the film. What this says about me is up to you.

"Antichrist" is not a good film because it's a trip into indulgence. The film seems like an art school project in the first act, a commercial for new, state of the art DV cameras in the second act, an actors workshop in the third and an attempt to make a 'real' horror film in the fourth. By the time the credits appeared I had lost interest in both characters and could care less about the statement von Trier was trying to make. It's incredibly easy to shock and awe an audience. It's not so easy to make them care and cry, which is why I wanted to see this film. Von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" is still one of my favorite films. It would be nice if the director went back to making films with a story instead of tricks.