Review of Irreversible (2002) by Drew S — 17 Oct 2010
Gaspar Noe's films - at least, the two of them I've seen - are provocative, cruel and challenging, assaulting the viewer on just about every level possible. If Enter the Void is a dark, turbulent dream, Irreversible is nothing short of a waking nightmare.
It is completely uninterested in the metaphorization or obfuscation of the realities it depicts; you see a violent rape through the unflinching eye of the camera, a savage beating and the after-effects, the filterless rage of a man out for revenge.
It would be one thing to insinuate all of these, through shadows or cutaways or third-party dialogue, but these images are committed to celluloid from start to finish. The only metaphor here is that these actions are fictional.
The title "Irreversible" could mean an infinite amount of things, and I'm sure they will be argued over ad nauseam, just as this film has been. To me, the film is saying that these acts are there for us to see and nothing, neither backpedaling through time nor exacting violent revenge, will be able to undo their existence.
Thus, Irreversible.
This review of Irreversible (2002) was written by Drew S on 17 Oct 2010.
Irreversible has generally received positive reviews.
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