Enter the Void (2009)

A. Just look at that poster. How could I not write about it?
B. am I still alive?
3. tryingtomakefilms or theoryandcriticism? on the verge of choosing laying in bed for the rest of my life. i really cant figure out if i could be good at this.


Date: 09/17/09
TIFF 09
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1191111/

Enter the Void.

I'm purposefully trying to say as little about this film as I possibly can, I think this film is best seen without knowing much about it, on a gigantic screen, in an empty movie theatre. I also definitely believe that it is quite simply: a masterpiece.

     Enter the Void is admittedly an incredibly difficult film to watch. It’s a film that you have to walk into prepared for. It’s a film that most people will simply not be able to take (example? The guy in the theatre who yelled ‘Finally!’ upon the film ending.) The cinematography echoes the pixie explosion of Speed Racer, however much, much darker and somehow more dizzying. Tokyo is seen in non-stop flashing neon colors. A warning – if you suffer from epilepsy, this film will be the end of you. The first act of the film plays out in first person view, complete with brief black flashes every few seconds to simulate blinking. Despite this blinking, there is literally not a single cut in the entire film (155 minutes long…) that at any point feels like the film ‘cut’ or was edited. The organic (otherworldly) path that the film follows flows viscerally. The transitions between shots are completely seamless - shockingly so. I really have no idea how he achieved this, but it’s quite remarkable. Technically, the film is quite a marvel; Noé’s use of CGI, in particular, is inspired. As programmer Colin Geddes said in the introduction to the film at the screening I was at, “Fuck gigantic robots and talking dogs, this is what CGI was meant for.”
     To call the film a rollercoaster is simply an understatement, as would be calling the journey the film takes you on anything short of ambitious. With these aesthetics, the film feels exactly what I would imagine a rather intensive drug trip to feel like. This is clearly the stated idea and the majority of the film revolves around promiscuous drug use. Enter the Void demands the viewer actively participate by succumbing to its psychedelic nature. What you, an audience member, will pull out of the film can be simply answered by the question – will you drink the kool-aid?
     The nature of the film’s intensive visual and aural experience will simply be more than the average viewer can take. This experience, when combined with the rampant violence, sex, and drugs that film centers around are impacting enough that this is not a film you can blindly recommend. I do, however, believe that the film is strong enough that it warrants discussion, analysis, and appreciation by those willing to take its ride. Simply put: Enter the Void is an ambitious, deeply affecting, stunning work.