Antichrist

“Lars von Trier shook up the film world when he premiered Antichrist at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.” — criterion.com
Now I see why this film got the reception that it did. Directed by Lars von Trier (The House that Jack Built 2018, Nymphomaniac 2013, Melancholia 2011).

This graphic psychodrama about a couple dealing with the tragic loss of their child will forever be ingrained in my brain. The film tackles with grief and loss, that I’m sure of, and maybe some witchcraft or just pure madness that caused the fallout. I tried to read up more about it but to no avail. Even the director himself couldn’t explain what his intention was.

Initial thoughts

Going in, I honestly thought Antichrist was going to be something like The Omen, or the sort. I didn’t watch any trailer, nor did any reading of what it was about, so yeah, going in blind was probably not the best decision. The intro scene alone burned my eyes, the black and white in slow motion, paired with the eerie yet comforting music of Tuva Semmingsen (G. F. Händel) – Lascia Ch’io Pianga. It was definitely an experience to see that sort of graphic scene with the penetration and how they showed the fall of the toddler.

Regarding the intro penetration scene, no, that was not Willem Dafoe’s genitalia. They had to hire a male porn star as Dafoe’s double on scenes like that, not because Dafoe doesn’t want everyone to see it, but because apparently, according to Lars himself, Dafoe’s was too big that it would be a distraction to the scene at hand.

Characters

There were tons of explicit sex scenes shown in Antichrist. The intro alone was a warning of what’s to come. There was one scene where the wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg, ran off to the forest, when Dafoe found her, she was touching herself vigorously, fully naked lying down on exposed roots of a tree. Dafoe then proceeds to have sexual intercourse with her and produced one of the best cinematic shots I’ve seen in a while. Disturbing and graphic yet masterful.

Probably the most exposed I’ve seen of two actors, literally and figuratively. Gainsbourg even stated in one interview that she had more trouble being emotionally exposed, and that she was thankful to Dafoe because they had a talk. Dafoe told her that she can fully trust him, and that they have each other to lean upon. The chemistry was beautiful and authentic, that it was hard to watch when it came down to them hurting each other, and ultimately trying to end the other.

Shock and confusion

There were moments in the film where I had no idea what was happening, with the shoes of the child being opposite, the connection of witchcraft and if that was really what drove Gainsbourg to madness. Towards the end, when it was revealed that the wife saw the whole thing, from the point when Nic (son) was standing by their door, to when he pulled out the chair to go up the table heading towards the open window, to ultimately falling down to his death. After that reveal, Gainsbourg placed the scissors on her clitoris and snipped it off, I’ll never forget that *snip* sound. That was probably the most shocking part of the film. As shocking as it was though, it made no sense to me why she did that to herself, maybe self punishment(?).

Conclusion

This was such a beautifully made film, delving on issues of grief and loss. Also, upon further research, Lars was going through depression as well during this time, I would compare this scenario to when Neon Genesis Evangelion was made, Hideaki Anno, the creator of Evangelion, has openly discussed how his own depression and struggles with mental health heavily influenced the series’ themes and characters, and we see the exact same pattern here as well. I appreciate the cinematography in Antichrist, the shots were exquisite, beautiful and well-crafted, as most Lars von Trier films.

Antichrist is definitely not for everyone, if you’re uncomfortable seeing full nudity and explicit sex scenes, don’t even attempt to watch this. If you’re fine with it however, this was definitely an experience and I urge you to watch it. It’s not the worst film I’ve seen but its not something I’d say is the best film. Its an experimental film with high shock value.