Irreversible

[TJ_the_director]

the firehosing camera effect- I don't think you're supposed to like it? It just seemed like another trick to make you feel sick.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Good point. But I can't get sick if I'm going to FF through the shot. Maybe a better trick was needed?

[Mr.Ark]

I was very impressed by this film. I don't shock easily, and up until viewing Irreversible, the only scene that had ever really made me wince was the teeth/curb moment in American History X.

The first ten minutes, building to and climaxing in the fire extinguisher scene left me shaken to the core. Very powerful stuff.

A lot is being made of shock value, but shock is nothing if not contectualised within a good film. Crap like I Spit On Your Grave or Cannibal Holocaust are made purely for shock value, and the "shock" just come across as nasty thrills.

The film Baise-Moi is a 90 minute exercise in shock, that fails miserably because the film is so utterly shite.

Irreversible is a very good film, well made and well acted and that is why the shock has a genine effect. It really effected me, in many ways.

The dread, as Monica Belucci takes the long walk that eventually leads her to the subway is heartstopping. You know where it's heading but you can't stop it.

Similarly, one of the most awful moments for me was during the rape scene when the person appeared in the background, turned around and left...

A very good film, but not one Iplan on watching again anytime soon.

[Kev Owens]

I'd disagree with that, I think that seeing her reading in a peaceful park, and the fact that she's pregnant makes it all the worse!

Miker, Memento has a much better story than Irreversible. As Despin said the story is generic crap, which makes me suspicious that it is just extreme to make up for its lacking. (Plus the fact that there was practically no script and it was mostly ad-libbed, what does that tell you?) Memento uses the reverse chronology to inflict the frustration that Leonard feels, by not knowing what has happened previously. In Irreversible, it seems that it's looking at the notion of fate, we see the result and no matter how nice the beginning may be, we KNOW the result is inevitable. It's very dark, and very cruel and even for fans of extreme cinema, this is a tough one to watch.

TJ, the firehosing camera effect- I don't think you're supposed to like it? It just seemed like another trick to make you feel sick. Surely people who saw this in the cinema must have suffered motion sickness!?! Plus the long strobe effect at the end? For christ's sake make it stop!

I just think that the film's goal was to shock people, disgust them, MAKE them walk out, so it achieved what it set out to do.

Experimental, yes.
Extreme, hell yes.
Good, not so sure...