Review of Love (2015) by Anthony K — 16 Apr 2016

It took me a very long time to watch this movie. Yes, for the obvious reason. Gaspar Noe's "Love" is really unlike no other film, again for the obvious reason. If it isn't porn (and I'm of the mindset that it is), it's the closest thing to it.

It begins in a wide shot of the main characters engaged in an explicit sexual act and oddly enough, it only gets more graphic from there. Actors actually have sex with one another on camera in increasingly exotic ways.

There are threesomes and orgies and close-ups of ejaculations and transgender prostitutes and -- most surprisingly -- a story under all of it. While the central plot (involving the disappearance of the main character's ex girlfriend and finding himself lost in the ennui of that relationship) is unfortunately not as developed as it should be, but I hardly think story was Noe's primary focus in making this film.

For what it's worth, "Love" is beautifully shot, giving a level of artistic introspection to what is essentially smut. I could probably watch it again just for the visual experience. Oddly enough, these visuals alone capture the rose-tinted nostalgia of remembering a lost relationship that I'm sure we could all relate with.

It's better than "Nymphomaniac" to say the very least. 5.9/10.