Sometimes I feel watching Gaspar Noé films is akin to paying someone to get yourself slapped. That is certainly the case with the shocking drama “Irréversible” [Eng. Title: Irreversible]. To describe the film as provocative would indeed be an understatement. If his earlier feature “Seul Contre Tous” shook you up, “Irréversible” will hit you with a sledgehammer. M. Noé had declared himself the moral conscience of world cinema.
But contrary to some misconceptions, this film is not about violence – sexual or otherwise. So what is it about? At its heart, the film questions rationale behind the deep-seated human instinct for revenge and the desire for retribution. Because the consequences of our actions, whether intended or not, would be irreversible. Some of the most violent imagery ever put to film has actually been used to convey a deeply pacifist message. Noé’s hatred of violence is crying out for everyone to see in the very manner in which these scenes are filmed. Not only does the screenplay run in reverse to show the effects of one’s actions before they’re committed, there’s also a conscious albeit futile effort in every scene to stop certain things from happening. No matter how you see it, this is superlative scripting. There’s a whole ‘bloody’ lot to soak from the film, which makes it necessary to watch it more than once, unpleasant scenes notwithstanding.
Some telling passages of play occur during conversations in the train and later at the discotheque that not only sheds light on the three main characters – Alex, Marcus, and Pierre, but also on the precarious nature of their relationship – at least two of them shouldn’t stay friends. Marcus and Pierre have been friends for years. Alex and Marcus are a couple, but before that she was in a relationship with Pierre for four years. Pierre still loves Alex and finds it difficult to move on, Alex is aware of this but cruelly flirts with him, only to later ask him not to torture himself by harbouring feelings for her. They’re at a party organised by Pierre’s friends. After getting fed up with Marcus for making a fool of himself following drugs and alcohol, Alex leaves, alone. At a subway road crossing, she’s randomly attacked by a gay thug in one of the most horrific rape scenes captured in cinema. But this is just the beginning of an orgy of violence that ensues.
Granted, one wouldn’t normally place Monica Bellucci who plays Alex in the same acting pedestal as, say a Meryl Streep. But in terms of physicality she’s up there among the very best actresses in the industry. Every now and again, she pulls out all stops to deliver some of the most harrowing scenes, like in the all-female lynching scene from Giuseppe Tornatore’s “Malèna”. She surpasses that here to the extent that during the shoot, her battered face apparently even made her co-star, co-producer and future husband Vincent Cassel (who plays Marcus) cry on set.
Right from the titles to the end credits, there is so much to write about this gem of a film. Gaspar Noé’s sense of humour is also amply evident on several occasions – like his choice and style of typography for the credits. The film also starts interestingly with the butcher from “Seul Contre Tous” making a shocking confession from his flat. The camera then pans downstairs to show men pouring out of ‘Rectum’, the infamous gay bar where some more violent scenes are played out. Apart from scripting and directing the film, M. Noé also handles the cinematography and editing, both thoroughly disorientating. Add to this the unnerving sound mix, and you now have a dizzying unpleasant ride ahead – unpleasant acts to witness, profound truths to unravel, and our incomplete evolution as human beings to reflect on. Needless to say, Highly Recommended Viewing..!
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Compilation: Monica Bellucci
Taken from some of the more humane scenes from the film.
Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel in some of the more humane scenes from one of Gasper Noé’s challenging films, “Irréversible”.
Scene Guide:
- A long post-coital scene where we get to know more about the relationship between Alex and Marcus as they make their plans for the evening’s party organised by Pierre, their friend, but who was once also Alex’s partner. Alex is of course played by the legendary Italian bombshell Monica Bellucci.
- Alex discovers she’s pregnant.
- At the party, Alex tries to keep Pierre company as Marcus flirts with the other girls. She soon gets fed up and leaves, setting off a chain of events.
Scene: Monica Bellucci
This is the infamous rape scene that no one in their right mind would watch for pleasure. Download at your own discretion. And I’m also not going to glorify this scene with any custom graphics.
Moinca Bellucci in the infamous rape scene from Gasper Noé’s “Irréversible”.
Compilation: Part 1 | Part 2
Rape Scene: Part 1 | Part 2
(Both parts required for each compilation. Unpack with Winrar)
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I thought irreversible was pretty forgettable… except of course the rape scene which is really hard to watch. I think Noe made up for it though with Enter the Void, amazing film.
Irreversible is anything but forgettable, to me at least. It was the first Gaspar Noe film I had seen, and the tender age of 19, and I still recollect the quickly escalating sense of repulsion, nausea and pleasant astonishment in the head-bashing scene at the Rectum, rising up to the infamous rape scene, after which the movie moves forward/backward to a slighter tone and a wonderful banter between the characters (a staple of French cinema which I desperately miss in English-speaking movies) to allow you to digest what your eyes had just seen.
As for Enter The Void, suffice it to say that Gaspa Noe is a God! Is it just me or did anyone else feel queezy when the lead get shot in the bathroom for the first time?! I not saying I’m normally squeamish (I’ve watched Faces Of Death series over lunch and munchies), but there’s something about this movie that just slaps one in the face!
Fine comment there onekerpal, except may be your reference to the ‘wonderful banter’. I can see where you’re coming from, but the ‘banter’ on this occasion also happens to be profound in the film’s context – it doesn’t just build on the characterisation, but also reveals in frightening detail the tormented relationship between these characters which indirectly plays a part in Alex’s fate. Banter – in a Rohmer and Godard perhaps, but one feels it’s not as much the case with Noé.
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