Review of Irreversible (2002) by Ross W — 05 Mar 2010

This film is a mixed affair of shocking violence, inventive although distracting camera work, and machine-gun dialogue which is at times entertaining and at other times indecipherable and seemingly pointless.

The film's story is told in reverse-chronological order. While this style is somewhat interesting, it ultimately makes the second half of the film disengaging and even boring. The first half of the film is very impressive. There is a neat effect in the way the viewer is aware there is some sort of fiasco going on, but the camera is weaving around, and there's this constant, hypnotic drone sound throughout the entire scene, and while the viewer gradually becomes oriented to the context of the fiasco, it is still visually disorienting through the lens of the camera.

There were two highly questionable scenes in the film, both involving graphic, gratuitous violence. So as not to ruin the film for those who haven't seen it, I will say just enough to convey a gist of what's going on, but not enough to spoil the plot. The first scene shows a man being beat to death. Honestly, due to the intense build up to this bloody climax, I liked this scene. It was shocking, but I felt strangely drawn to it. Also, it was over rather swiftly.

The second scene depicts a rape. This scene I had some problems with. While it was relevant to the story, I'm not sure it needed to go on as long as it did. For what it's worth, the scene felt very real. In this sense, it was effective, because it was absolutely appalling, completely disgusting, and intensely repulsive. The acting was, given the circumstances, incredible. I am a Monica Bellucci fan, and although I didn't particularly enjoy this scene, she deserves an immense amount of credit for attempting to embody this degrading experience.

I'm glad I saw the film because it had a unique effect on me. It is a strange experience to watch a film that you don't like but find interesting. This film exploits our voyeuristic side as viewers: we are granted access to viewing experiences we don't have to participate in. I have always been drawn to "things I'm not meant to see," and in this sense, I couldn't turn my head away from the screen. If you have this knack in you, then I would recommend seeing this film. Your voyeur-cravings will be filled. Thankfully, the film is only 90 minutes long, so it's not like I was waiting impatiently for it to end.

Ultimately, I think this film is an overly-gratuitous depiction of a decently told story. I wouldn't say it's "rotten," but I wouldn't exactly call it "fresh." There's value in the film, but to be more specific, there's some positive value and unfortunately, there are also large amounts of negative value.