Review of Irreversible (2002) by River W — 07 Feb 2010

Flowing lucidly backwards in time, this is a brutal and unrecommended (for most) exploitative story of rape and revenge.The movie starts with a dizzying camera, a high-pitched buzzing, and a confusing plot. After a cop/ambulance scene we are transported to the events just prior; a raw and flashing search through a gay S&M club reaching a climactic revenge sequence that I had to actually look away from. I've never seen anything so realistically brutal as the injuries here, I doubt anyone can watch it without gasping or turning away (over and over again).

*Spoilers: Marcus is the angry man searching for revenge, but for what exactly is the only thing that kept me watching. We are introduced to Alex, his girlfriend next, as she is walking into danger unbeknown to her. There is the 9 minute rape scene down the red hallway where Alex tries her best to escape. The world is tragically perverted and bestial at this point. But as the viewer we only know what is about to happen, not what already has, and so we continue to watch. We see Alex and Marcus at a party, where Marcus is coked up and obnoxious, which sends Alex off. Now earlier and earlier until it's morning time and the two lovers are rolling and kissing around on their bed in the sunlight. To know their fate is wretched, but as they are unaware and happily optimistic it makes you instantly want to reach out and tell all your loved ones that you love them. Which I did.

To end the movie in a park blissfully full of children is a cruel reminder of lives to come, in which as the tagline suggests "time destroys everything". The line is obvious to the plot, as well as the Nietzsche quotes and dreams foreshadowing doom. All of which were sad attempts at aiming the movie towards art, which actually had the opposite effect. So there are pretentious lines and courageous/controversial scenes that define the movie, but at it's core is a warning of the delicate nature of life and the darkness that inevitably coexists with and within us all.That chance is our fate and misery follows quickly on the heels of joy, and our only solace is ignorance.

As for technical side, the CGI is AMAZING, as well as the sweeping 10 minute perfectly choreographed/acted scenes (apparently there are some invisible edits though). The sounds are very strong, as well as the music by Thomas Bangalter (1/2 of Daft Punk). The camera work is sublime, starting from a drunken fly perspective, and getting slowly better as the confusion of the climactic night reverts into a more sober state. If you don't leave during the hectic club scene then you've made it to the actual movie. The camera still swoops around, but instead has a focus. The only time the camera stops is when the characters are frozen in time; the rape scene and the love scene.

Something that bothered me was that, for most of the movie, I kept thinking I would never recommend it to anyone. I would hide the fact the movie even existed. But by the end I loved it. The reverse story telling is what made this a great movie, not the controversy. Ending on the naively heartbreaking note will forever keep this an amazing triumph of art(?) and emotion.