Irréversible
DIRECTED AND WRITTEN BY: Gaspar Noe, STARRING: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, RUN TIME: 97 minutes, RELEASE: 2002, LANGUAGE: French
Irreversible is set over the course of a single night played out in reverse-chronology. After the brutal rape of Alex (Monica Bellucci), her boyfriend Marcus (Vincent Cassel) and her ex-lover Pierre (Albert Dupontel) hire two criminals to help them track down the rapist and exact revenge.
There are few films that shock me in its subject. There are things that you can see only a certain amount of times before you become dis-sensitised to it. After all, it's only acting, at the end of the day. That being said, sometimes you come across something that you truly find difficult to stomach but I'll come back to that in a bit. Irreversible is an absolute master-class in film-making, Gaspar Noe's directing is nothing short of brilliance. It is chaotic, real, gritty, dirty, and so much more. There are not too many reverse-chronology films that I can claim to have seen, but Irreversible uses this style to maximum effect far better than any other film I have seen so far. This really is an immensely powerful story about the darkest aspects of human nature and the cause and effect of the choices we make as individuals.
The cast is simply out-of-this-world in their performances. The beautiful and captivating Monica Bellucci gives, unequivocally, her finest performance to date in the role of Alex, and you genuinely feel angry at the horrific violation of her body as if she were your own partner. Vincent Cassel is pure class as the vengeful boyfriend. He is tunnel-visioned and frighteningly resolute in his quest for vengeance and you absolutely believe every word and action of his character. A testament to his remarkable acting. I genuinely don't want to go into this film too much as the plot is fairly simple and I just don't want to give too much away.
That being said, I cannot talk about this film without bringing up the one scene that it is most famous for. I can pretty much watch anything without a care in the world. Gory films and shocking scares don't bother me at all. Not in the slightest. I really don't get squeamish out by anything. However, rape scenes are always uncomfortable to watch, even though you know that it is only acting. Just the very thought of it played out on screen is hard to watch. I don't care how dis-sensitised you are. So, it is so important that I say that this film has one of the most disturbing rape scenes I have ever seen on film. At just over nine minutes long, It really is the most awkwardly vile thing I have ever had the displeasure of sitting through but, that is a massive compliment to Bellucci and Jo Prestia. I cannot imagine what a struggle that scene was to film but, they both so obviously put every acting skill they could muster into it and it just left me feeling drained. I literally was seething with the thought of vengeance for her. As horrific as it is, It certainly serves its purpose in bringing your deepest emotions to the forefront.
There has been a lot of criticism as to the length of the rape scene. That is for you to debate individually. If you can sit through it then that is fine. For me, it is a vital part of the story that should be experienced if you want to immerse yourself wholly into the plot. However, do not go in thinking you will sail through it unaffected. For those of a more delicate nature, you may want to skip past it. Irreversible is entirely improvised in its script and if you want to know why you might feel sick and dizzy during the first half-hour or so of the film well...that's for you to discover. This film has to be seen but, you have been warned. Irreversible is a phenomenal film.