I have never in my life put off a review as long as this one. Perhaps it is because I don't like thinking about my own mortality, perhaps it is because I really don't know what I think about this flick.
I saw Enter The Void months ago and I haven't stopped talking about it. Now it is out in theaters (okay, maybe theater) and you can finally go see it. It is one of the dullest and most pretentious movies I'll ever call a masterpiece.
It strives to tell us, to show us, what happens to us when we die. It also strives to replicate the use of hallucinogenics on film. It is also has some of the most technically spectacular "first person" camerawork I've ever seen. An early shot of "us" at a mirror is like the Harpo Marx gag from Duck Soup, but only on psychedelics amidst the ratty American and Euro criminal element of Japan.
Once our main character dies, we revisit his life, told in brilliant montage, then we float around observing the loose ends of his life working themselves out. We drift into a variety of scenarios, many of which qualify as "adult." Sure, Gaspar Noe could have made this most universal story about any person's death - but he chose this guy and, for better or worse, it is what we're dealt with.
The "floating" section of the film goes on forever. It is intentionally repetitive, but it shimmers in bright tones and keeps alive with permutation. It is the cinematic equivalent to the music of Steve Reich. Then in the final reel the crazy really gets loose.
I won't fault you if you hate Enter The Void, but I really want you to see it. It is unlike anything you've experienced before. I think it will be an incredible game changer for young filmmakers. Not since David Cronenberg in the 1980s and early 1990s has there been such an earnestly deviant filmmaker pushing boundaries in this way. I left the theater completely drained, quaking in an ending that was a revelation of complete joy as well as utter existential dread. Few movies can achieve either.
Just for kicks, I have included the opening credits. This is what get you into the mood.
