Irréversible

[Redjake]

Have any of you seen this? I heard it was extremely graphic, to the point of turning off the movie/nausea. Something about rape and getting beat with a fire extinguisher?

I also hear it's life-changing and that everyone should see it (a la Requiem for a Dream)

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290673/

I think it's about a woman that was raped and how it her ex-husband is trying to kill the guy that did it



Anyone?

[Pellaz]

Meh, it didn't impress me that much. It felt much more like a cinematic excerise than the avant gaurd film it's made out by many to be.

It IS incredibly violent, brutal, and graphic. The idea and story are solid enough, though, and it's definately a movie that if you see it you don't want to know too much about it (ala The Usual Suspects, Memento).

[Cynthetiq]

i just put it on the Netflix list...

[k1ng]

I saw it a while ago, but I don't remember too much about it. Yes, it is violent, and the rape scene is pretty long.

Maybe I'll watch it again to refresh my memory...

[alpha]

The first half is good and the way the story's told (backwards) was really interesting. But after the rape scene (which could have been shorter but didn't disturb me too much because I know it's just acting) it somehow looses it's appeal and is all talk which IMO adds nothing to the story. But it's worth watching.

[roachboy]

the trick of the film is obvious--i wish that folk would make films with tricks that did not give away the device sometimes.
the cinematography is more interesting for a while, but you can make up your own mind about how it works across an entire film.
its worth watching.
dunno about life changing, but it is worth seeing, yes.

[Porkchop]

Worth a watch but extinguisher scene and Rape scene are tough to watch imo.

[Sparhawk]

I wanted to burn this dvd after I watched it. I get disgusted just thinking about it.

[bundy]

yes, its extremely graphic.
it didn't disgust me to the level of nausea as other films have, but it certainly doesn't hold back.
i think the cinematography and the way its strung together is interesting, but the film as a whole certainly wasn't life-altering.

i say go see it. but be prepared for its graphic nature.

[-Ever-]

I found this movie in a rental shop while I was studying in London. I hadn't heard anything about it, and I thought the guy who worked at the store was a wuss when he told me that it's pretty disturbing.

I definitely ate my words though. It's easily the most graffic movie I've ever seen, simply for it's realism. Some horror movies are cheesy graffic, but this is real-life graffic, like Spoiler: seeing a guy get his face beaten in with a fire hydrant and watching his teeth get knocked out one by one with each blow without any film cuts . It was the only film that has ever made me feel nautious.

Aside from this, I really liked the overall realism of the story. It tapped into underground scenes without feeling like the movie was intended for people who might like the alternative already (8mm?), and the acting was simply amazing. I remember a time when they were on the Metro and sat there talking, laughing, and interupting eachother for about five minutes without a cut in the film.

I'd recomend it if you feel like you can take it

-T

[SecretMethod70]

I've watched this movie twice in the past 6 months. Just finished watching it the second time tonight and I came to appreciate it even more after the second viewing. It *is* extremely graphic and disturbing. What I enjoy so much about it is how well all the pieces fit together though. The cinematography, the soundtrack, the story itself: all of it blends together to enhance the overall experience. I don't think the movie would be quite the same if any one of these aspects were changed or removed.

Spoiler: For example, as the movie begins the camera work is incredibly dizzying, much like the state of mind the main characters are in. Not only is it a visual representation, but it literally makes YOU dizzy, injecting this emotion before you even know what is going on. As the movie progresses, the camera gets calmer and calmer. Not to mention that in the rape scene, the static camera really adds a tremendous amount of realism and terribleness. The length? It serves to make it even more unsettling...each time you think it's finally over, it starts up again...time seems to stand still and the rape seems to go on forever, much like I would imagine a woman in that position would feel. By the end, one is almost settled after watching 30 minutes or so of happiness, only to be jarred back to the reality of the future by the persistent strobe spiraling through space, returning the viewer to the unsettled state of earlier.

This is one of my favorite movies, and also one I hope to rarely watch. But, that is why I like it so much - for how well it effected my own emotions through more than just the content of the story. I think everyone should sit through this movie at least once...and resist the urge many may get to turn it off at the halfway point. Once you've made it past that, the worst parts are over.

[Gilda]

Originally Posted by alpha

The first half is good and the way the story's told (backwards) was really interesting. But after the rape scene (which could have been shorter but didn't disturb me too much because I know it's just acting) it somehow looses it's appeal and is all talk which IMO adds nothing to the story. But it's worth watching.

I'm just the opposite. I think the second half is what gives the story it's depth, it's emotional resonance. Without that, it's just a shlock revenge fantasy.

Gilda

[Booray]

I've never seen this, but I found this on the Trivia page for this movie's listing on IMDB.com:

The first 30 minutes of the film has a background noise with a frequency of 28Hz (low frequency, almost inaudible), similar to the noise produced by an earthquake. In humans, it causes nausea, sickness and vertigo. It was the main cause of people walking out of the theaters during the first part of the film in places like Cannes and San Sebastian. In fact, it was added with the purpose of getting this reaction.

[Mr Honest]

It's a quality film. The camera angle and music in the club at the start really gets to you. It's intense, you just know something bad is going to happen and it's a true shock when it does. Watching it with several friends/relatives, they all turn away at that point and haven't watched any more....
The rape scene is appalling. Telling a story backwards works. We must all have days and events where we want to go back and change what happened. At the end of the film seeing the beginning of the day with such fun and happiness, remembering how it will all end. It's grim stuff but worth seeing.

[Gilda]

Booray: That's interesting. The Exorcist uses a similar device, playing the sound of IIRC, grinding metal faintly on the soundtrack to enhance the anxiety of the audience without their knowing why.

Gilda

[Cynthetiq]

Originally Posted by Gilda

Booray: That's interesting. The Exorcist uses a similar device, playing the sound of IIRC, grinding metal faintly on the soundtrack to enhance the anxiety of the audience without their knowing why.

Gilda

angry bees and a few other auditory cues that are unsettling.

I finally watched it a couple weeks back.

underwhelmed.

the camera work was like they just got this new toy to play with and they decided to see how they could "play" with the technology which explains the opening sequence fly overs and also the 2-3 DVD extras of the camera just flying about.

2 out of 5 stars for me.