Film Spotlight: Irréversible (2002)Director: Gasper NoéCast: Monica Belluci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel
Thriller, drama97 minutes
Possible NC-17 rating for strong graphic violence
It’s pretty safe to say that most people enjoy watching movies, right? Still, no matter how big of a film buff you are, there might still be a film here or there that kind of slips through the cracks. This new column will help some of you discover films that you may have missed. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t one of those pretentious “FILMS THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF” things that just assumes that nobody but the author knows about certain films. Instead, this is a “if you missed this, you might want to look into it” kind of thing. From one film fan to another.
The first film that I want to bring up is a French film that was released in 2002, Irréversible. It’s a noteworthy film just because of the story-telling technique alone, because it’s a thriller told in reverse. The way this works is that the film begins a few minutes before the story ends. Once that scene finishes, the film jumps back to a few minutes before the beginning of the scene, at which point we get to see what led up to it in the first place. This set-up is then repeated throughout the entirety of the film, until we reach the end of the film, which paradoxically is the beginning of the story. Think Christopher Nolan’s Memento, but without as big of a focus on mystery.
To some, this may sound like a gimmick, but director Gasper Noé’s use of it actually creates a surprising sense of poignancy. The film begins with a brutal act of violence with no context whatsoever, giving the audience no real reason to be on the side of the protagonists for their actions. As the film continues, and we begin to see more of the story leading up to the ending, we start to understand the actions of the characters’ better. It’s particularly interesting how your opinion of a character can change based on the actions they’ve committed EARLIER in the story itself.
However, most strikingly, this filmic device ends up instilling a strong sense of tragedy. By the end of the film, without giving anything away, we see the characters before the horrible events of the movie happen to them. There is a strong sense of dramatic irony as we, the audience, are completely aware of what horrors await the oblivious characters. We know more than they do, and that’s the almost unbearable irony. Structuring the film this way emphasizes the tragic aspect of the story far more than the revenge quality. By beginning the film with the revenge itself, the audience is then more interested in WHY revenge is wanted, rather than actually getting to the revenge pay-off itself. Eventually, unlike Memento, the “why” aspect becomes less important, while the focus shifts almost entirely towards the horrific dramatic irony at the core of the structure.
It should be said at this point that Irréversible is a fairly controversial film, mostly due to an incredibly graphic and uncomfortable sequence about midway through the film. I think it needs to be said that the sequence is a rape scene that is absolutely unflinching in its portrayal, with the camera remaining motionless for most of the sequence. It is perhaps the most uncomfortable sense of voyeurism that I’ve ever encountered.
There has been quite a lot of debate about whether the scene is exploitative, and I’m certainly not qualified to say whether it is or isn’t. That being said, because of the sequencing of the events, to me, the scene does not come across as simply a plot point used to drive the protagonists for revenge, which would certainly be exploitative. Rather than serving as a jump-point for the revenge aspect of the plot, the scene is followed by sequences showing the characters BEFORE this pivotal scene. Again, it takes the focus off of the drive for revenge or the idea of it simply being a plot point for motivation, but instead becomes a scene that then lingers throughout the rest of the movie. It is, of course, the greatest tragedy in this entire sequence of dramatic irony, but it is a scene that has certainly spurred a lot of necessary debate.
So far I’ve mostly focused on the structure of the movie, but special mention has to be given to the performances in this film. Vincent Cassell, whom you might know as the seductive but sleazy teacher in Black Swan, adds a lot of intensity to his role, while Monica Belucci gives an incredibly brave performance. The performances are especially excellent given that they were apparently improvised; Gasper Noé’s script was only 3 pages long.
Choosing Irréversible as the first film for this new column was maybe not the best choice, because it can be a little difficult to recommend, not because of the quality of the film, but more because of the controversial and disturbing sequence at the heart of the film. To me, the film is nevertheless worth seeing, but it’s certainly something that will divide audience.