Antichrist (2009)

Antichrist

• I’ll tell you one thing. Lars von Trier knows how to make you think. Now, I’ve only seen three of his films (the others being both Nymphomaniacs), but still. This was one of the most thought provoking films I’ve seen recently. It’s one that feels very overwhelming, but at the same time, it moves slowly so you have time to comprehend the scenes (or at least try to). I do think the film feels a bit long, although there’s probably not much I would cut from it. There’s just a lot to study. The way nature is used to represent pain, grief, depression, and trauma was very smart. It’s not just a standard message, but one that uses symbolism and allegories to deliver what it wants to say. There’s a lot of dialogue in this, and while written decently, I think I got a little lost at a few points. I wasn’t necessarily confused, there’s just some times where I was ready for the next scene to come in. The opening scene was wonderfully shot, and though sad, it had me totally hooked, but sputtered into the second act. But the third act picks it back up. The acting was pretty solid, though nothing amazing comes from Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both great, it's just nothing super memorable. I love Willem, though. I don’t care how much screen time he has, or what his role is, he’s always a blast to watch. The score was decent, though it wasn’t always noticeable. Some scenes had a greater impact with the score, but others were a little slow. Overall, this film was better than I expected it to be, but it’s nothing amazing. I can see myself revisiting it in the future, and I’d probably recommend it if you like art horror.