Review of Irreversible (2002) by Kristin R — 23 Sep 2009

I finally got around to seeing this one after hearing about it for years. Definitely NOT a movie for everyone, to say the very least. Creates its own version of a movie that's quite disturbing, making you actually feel sick at times.

But there is something very hypnotic about it, and I'm not talking about the herky-jerky, disorienting on purpose camera work throughout most of the movie. It's hard to not watch, you're totally hooked.

It's Memento-ish in how it tells the story and I thought that was done quite effectively. Kind of interesting how the movie starts out dark and gritty and lightens as the story goes back in time, but even watching the happier moments there's an overcast of despair to it because we - the audience - knows what is going to happen already, even though the characters do not.

And ohhhh, the final scene with Alex laying on that blanket in the park, reading while the children are playing nearby ... all set to the tune of Beethoven's 7th ... in a word: WOW. That was just beautiful, in complete contrast with the rest of the movie for a purpose.

Extremely well done. You just gotta sit through some nasty stuff to get there.