*** Official IRREVERSIBLE Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Justin_S]

Wouldn't ya know, a week after I went to see this in LA, it opened in Dallas, lol.

Lion's Gate isn't afraid to release a film unrated or NC-17 in theaters, so I'm positive the DVD will be unaltered. I can't wait to own it, and I'll probably be seeing this masterpiece again in Dallas in the next few days. My review is in the review thread by the way.

 

[Nick C.]

I have to admit that I almost made the same error myself when I saw the film. That scene was so difficult to watch that I can understand how others could make the wrong assumption

just watched the film, may I ask what confirms that the beaten man was not La Tenia? the beaten man was wearing different cloths (leather jacket, not tan suit), but it looked like their body builds were similar, stocky with a high bridged nose... was there some dialogue indicating this?

by the way, there's a fellow who enters the tunnel/passage during the earlier moments of the rape, then quickly scurries off... are we to interpret that as further evidence of the inhumanity and bestiality faced, or was he perhaps the one to alert the authorities?

 

[Justin_S]

If you pay close enough attention to what La Tenia looked like you'll see that its not La Tenia, plus La Tenia smiled while his friend was getting mangled with the extinguisher. He did this because they got the wrong guy.

 

[Nick C.]

plus La Tenia smiled while his friend was getting mangled with the extinguisher

ah...i definitely missed this as i turned away after the first 2 or 3 smashes

 

[JonZ]

"Somehow, I don't think that Irreversible, in its extant incarnation, will see the light of day on R1 dvd.

-Why in the world not? Lion's Gate hasn't shown much fear in releasing unrated films on DVD. If they took the step of releasing it theatrically, I think a DVD release in the same unrated form is pretty much guaranteed"


I just saw this and Im not sure what Lions Gate will do for the home video release.While I dont think theyll shy away from the violence, they may for sexual content(graphic oral sex shown). Everyone was hoping for a unrated version of Rules Of Attraction on DVD and it didnt happen.

Also, alot of people have mentioned the fire extinuisher scene. On Home video u can slow it down and see the cuts in what has to be one of the greatest examples of editing Ive ever seen.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Actually, I believe the blood in the fire extinguisher scene (as well as the rape) is actually CGI. There are seemless cuts, but it's also a fairly clever use of effects technology, too.

 

[JonZ]

I did frame by frame last night. There are definitely cuts.

 

[Damin J Toell]

I just saw this and Im not sure what Lions Gate will do for the home video release.While I dont think theyll shy away from the violence, they may for sexual content(graphic oral sex shown). Everyone was hoping for a unrated version of Rules Of Attraction on DVD and it didnt happen.

But the unrated Rules was never released theatrically. That isn't the case with Irréversible, where only an unrated cut exists. It doesn't make much sense to me that they would go through the trouble of releasing an unrated film theatrically but not release that same version on video, when it is much easier to release a film unrated on video than it is to release it theatrically. If they did the more difficult release already, then I see no reason to doubt the easier one will come, too.
DJ

 

[Tino]

Wow.
Irreversible is a hard film to review. At first glance, it could be seen as a simple violent revenge tale told in reverse as a gimmick.
However it is so much more than that. It is one of the most brutal films I have ever seen. The rape and beating are perhaps the most realistic ever filmed. It's also riveting for every minute. Every emotion is brought out in this film. Love, hate, tenderness, viciousness, and ultimately sadness.
A remarkable film. I cannot say it was entertaining of course, it is more experienced than watched. But the experience is one of a kind and will haunt you for days.

 

[ThomasC]

But the experience is one of a kind and will haunt you for days.

Try five months. :frowning:

 

[Stephen_L]

I'm really not trying to dump on anyone here but after reading reviews of this film, I'm certain I do not want to see it. I cannot see paying eight dollars to watch a woman be sodomized and beaten graphically for minutes on end. I had a difficult experience years ago with the Jodie Foster film, The Accused. In it we watch a young woman pinned onto a pinball machine and gang raped by a bunch of drunks. At many points, the scene took the point of view of the onlookers. I felt very bad after watching that, feeling that in a sense like the cheering onlookers I had watched a woman being raped for 'entertainment'. I know its make-believe, but the power of film is to create the illusion of reality. What is the filmmakers point in showing an attractive woman being sexually brutalized? That rape is bad? That men are brutish? Those seem rather obvious. What tremendous purpose could be served by watching such brutality? I have a real problem with filmmakers using such tactics for dramatic effect.

 

[Joshua_Y]

Man...I cant wait for this disc to arrive! I know I'm gonna love it...

 

[Tino]

Stephen

The Accused is tame compared to Irreversible. If that film upset you, I agree that you should avoid this one.

I'm not really sure if there is a message in Irreversible, other than there are terrible people in the world that do horrible things to good people...and get away with it.

Ultimately it's a tragic tale, telling a story that probably occurs more often than we want to believe.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Seriously, I don't think anyone should look forward to seeing this film with "delight". It's a thought-provoking film in some respects. It's very brutal, unflinchingly so. The rape scene is one that slowly, monotonously, violently, shreds through that woman's core as a human being. It robs her of so many intrinsic intangibles of the quality of her life from that point on. It's truly a despicable act.

Internally, I was pretty ill from watching that scene. Your whole sense of justice from that scene will be sent reeling. The cruel things depicted that we do to one another for such shallow purposes as power and exploitation will just churn in the pit of your belly for days and weeks to come.

 

[Doug R]

There is a point to the movie, though I'm sure many would argue there's rarely a point to show such brutality on film.

But the title says it all: somethings are Irreversible. The movie shows what leads up to two very violent, horrific events and how our good and bad decisions have consequences that you will be UNABLE to reverse.

1) The two men seeking out the Tapeworm out of revenge leads to a horrible conclusion.
2) The woman decides to forgo a safe taxi for a tunnel with tragic results.
3) Her boyfriend is obnoxious at a party which forces her to leave and go into aformentioned tunnel.

etc, etc.

I agree that the tunnel scene is nearly unwatchable and the club scene ain't a walk in the park either (though certainly impressive effects). But the movie does have a underlying theme beneath the horror.

 

[Stephen_L]

I guess my question is, are there some things one should simply not watch. If a film comes along even a film with artistic intention that realistically and graphically depicts a man getting his brains splattered by a fire extinguisher, or a woman being brutally beaten and sodomized for many unrelieved minutes (or to ignore Irreversible, how about scenes of child rape or torture) is that something you should watch? Does the message that 'the world is brutal' or 'somethings are irreversible' or any message justify watching that kind of brutality on screen?

I'm not a film novice. I've seen plenty of violent and sexually charged films, but when a filmmaker vividly recreates and lingers over that kind of bestiality, is that something one should watch?

I would be curious. What would be the limit of what you will watch on screen. Is there a limit?

 

[Bill J]

Does anyone have any idea of what the significance of the strobe light at the end of the film (chronological beginning) is? If you look closely you can see faint images on the screen. I was wondering if it had a connection to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

 

[Damin J Toell]

Does anyone have any idea of what the significance of the strobe light at the end of the film (chronological beginning) is? If you look closely you can see faint images on the screen. I was wondering if it had a connection to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I think it is related to 2001 in that it represents a birth, just as 2001 ends with the "birth" of the Starchild. It seemed to me that Noe went so far back in time that someone, or something, was being (re-?)born.
DJ

 

[chris rick]

Guys, I posted this in the thread in Software regarding Irreversible, but it is better off here for a discussion. I like the mention of 2001, and here's a take on that issue that I posted in the other thread, as well as a mini-review of the film.

Unflinching and gut churning, Gaspar Noe's Irreversible forces us to look at the deepest and darkest places of humanity. This is definitely an uncomfortable viewing experience, but also an incredibly important one--and yes I do think there is a point in having to sit through the brutality of this film and here's why:

Some have questioned why Noe pushed the two violent scenes so far, why does the violence have to be taken to such lengths? Should we even watch it? Is it exploitation or a director trying to hit us over the head with a sledge-hammer to drive his point home? It is neither. I have to vehemently disagree that Gaspar Noe is calling attention to anything in this film merely for its own sake--it's FAR too easy to say that about such an in your face film. Yes, it is more brutal than probably any film ever made without depicting actual violence or rape, but there is a point to this exceedingly long violence if one can get past the surface (which isn't easy at all) of these crimes and watch the rest of the film with an attention to detail. The scene that sums up exactly what Noe is trying to accomplish: It's no accident that a 2001: A Space Odyssey poster hangs in Alex and Marcus' bedroom--The point of the film--at least one of them, is not exploitation or every shot calling attention to itself for the director's own sake--but rather it is about an audience looking beneath the veneer to see people that could have made better choices to prevent all the senseless violence and pain that occurs. The lasting image of 2001 is of the Star Child, returning to Earth with new knowledge--with the wisdom to live in the world anew. Irreversible is about this-- in almost every action of the characters in this film there is a certain naivety--It's as if they speak without thinking. For example: The Belluci character saying "Women are always in control"-- She doesn't even think about the possibility that there are those who feel otherwise through their heinous actions. Another issue, what kind of man would allow his girlfriend to go out on the street at night alone like Marcus did? If he hadn't acted like such a jackass, whe wouldn't even be leaving. Now, in no way of course does this make either Marcus nor Alex guilty (obviously) for what happened to her and for the events after the crime. What the film does suggest is that every action, every word, means something far more than we may even realize it does. By telling this story in reverse, Noe communicates this theme very well--every action leading up to the crimes is magnified that much more as we watch not the aftermath of the crimes--but those actions leading up to the crimes.

No one should ever have to go through what the three main characters in this film have to--but Noe suggests that like the Star Child, we are capable of understanding that there is pure EVIL (observe the rapist grinning after the scene with the extinguisher) and that we may in some ways prevent this type of thing (along with many other things) by acting more wisely. The message that there is pure evil in the world is of course an old one, and one that we so clearly see taken to extreme lengths in this film. What is different in this film however is that a director is willing to be so bold as to suggest that we can-in some ways, avoid such evils by being wiser in our decisions and actions. This film is in this respect not heavy-handed in the least, but rather is very clear, and very subtle about what it wants to accomplish. Ultimately we can,as one character suggests in the beginning of the film-- just go on living, even though time, as he suggests, cannot heal some things. Some things are irreversible, like the crimes in this film. Other things, like the actions that the characters take before the crimes, are completely under our control.

That's a tough pill to swallow, and yes it is incredibly depressing. But it's also, for me, part of what it means to be human.

This is a great film, but definitely not one I could watch many times.

 

[Bill J]

I've only seen Irreversible once and it is definitely one of the best films I have seen all year. I thought the film was very engaging, but "entertaining" is probably not the best word.

I was under the impression that Noe was trying to make a statement about the nature of revenge. About how people are driven to seek revenge without full consideration. If Noe were trying to make an "anti-revenge" film, the most effective concept in the film to establish that was the fact that an innocent man was brutally beaten. However, many of the people who have seen the film, including major critics, thought that the rapist was killed in the chronological ending of the film. Therefore, Noe would not get his message across (if that even was his message).

Any thoughts?