Review of Vortex (2021) by Tvjerry — 15 May 2022
Writer/director Gaspar Noé is known for his unique visual style and willingness to experiment. He keeps it up with his latest effort revolving around an aging couple in Paris, followed simultaneously on split screens.
Her dementia (Françoise Lebrun) is advancing rapidly, while he (famed Italian director Dario Argento) has to deal with her erratic behavior and his own health issues. The dual images are interesting, observing their behaviors without much cinematic interference.
She wanders aimlessly, while he tries to write his book and cope with her. Each scene is extended with plenty of silence and minimally interesting dialogue, which was often improvised. Noé's love of a distracting "blink" between every cut (a few frames of black) serves to pull the viewer out of the experience.
Some will appreciate the measured pace and naturalistic approach, while others will find the cinematic gimmick gets in the way of any real emotional connections.
This review of Vortex (2021) was written by Tvjerry on 15 May 2022.
Vortex has generally received very positive reviews.
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