Review of Only God Forgives (2013) by Justin M — 08 Dec 2013

How engaging this film is to you will probably dramatically depends on how you feel about the man the film is dedicated to. Alejandro Jodorowsky certainly was a polarizing chap and Refn is very much more of the same. I personally find Refn's landscapes fascinating in a horrifyingly surreal way, but his camera work and lack of dialogue strike me as an intentional choice and not a lack of creativity. Some people rightly (in my mind) compare him David Lynch. My description of this film is that it sneaks in punches like a later Jodorowsky, or an early Lynch, where there is enough resemblance to something mainstream that even non-art house audiences can find a point of relation to it, but at the end seriously question the mindless fluff they feed on to pass the time. They begin to question how deep the rabbit holes go on other depictions of deeply troubled people and hopefully truly question their choice visual past-times.

Refn reminds of Michael Haneke or Lars Von Trier when they are being difficult (read Funny Games and Antichrist). These are films that are often times more engaging to talk about then to actually watch. They are films that seem to be in line with early Dada ideas where the goal is to shock the viewer so badly they will question their perceptions of reality. There is no attempt to moralize characters or sugar coat anything. They don't defend their actions and their mute faces stare out you questioning why you are watching them and asking what you are getting out of it. These are directors that shoot the horses.