A Difficult Watch
It has been a while since I have affected by a film to the degree that Irreversable has affected me. It hasn’t given me nightmares, but there are instances where this film plays out like one. While there is little French cinema that I have enjoyed, this is actually one of the few that I could sit all the way through. And honestly, I can’t say I even enjoyed this movie because the experience itself was emotionally taxing, I don’t think I can ever watch this film again, at least anytime soon.
It’s hard to describe the film without mentioning the format of this film. The movie occurs in a backwards fashion, much like Memento, but with a few differences. In Memento, when a scene ended it ended fairly abruptly and also featured the first few seconds of the previous scene to put the scene into context within the story. This is honestly preferable because in Irreversible, instead of a scene just ending, there is a camera move to transition between the scenes instead of a cut. Also, there the overlap that is present in Memento is not present in this film. It’s not like there is vital information that it missing but the viewer needs to piece the puzzle together themselves. This does not work in this film until about 20 minutes or so as I had no clue what was going on. Also the camera work was insane, floating around an opening scene in a dimly lit bar, not focusing specifically on anyone or anything. It’s quite possible this technique was employed to show the main character’s state of mind at the time. Despite that, there were no hints as to the structure of the film until after this time and then I eventually figured it out what was happening and the camerawork became more controlled. Once this happens the plot finally gets a chance to rise to the surface. The story focuses on a man avenging the rape of his girlfriend. We get a story arc about the day the rape occurred which gives us a chance to see the characters and their personalities before and after the tragic event occurs. The only name familiar to me in the cast is Monica Bellucci, whom is known for roles in the last two Matrix films and The Brothers Grimm. She gives a strong performance considering she doesn’t have a whole lot to do and is only in about half the movie.
I have a really difficult time recommending this movie. At the same I will see see it if you have a strong stomach. This is a strong, unforgiving thriller that I think should be seen to be appreciated, yet not necessarily liked.