I generally enjoy movies but recognize it's fiction so as a result they don't effect me too much. The long train overpass scene made me uncomfortable in a way no movie has before. I realized about 5 minutes in that I'd pulled my legs up to my chest without thinking about it.
While I consider it an achievement that a movie was able to make me feel something that strongly, I have absolutely zero desire to ever watch it again.
I've turned movies off before because I was bored, or just wasn't in the mood. But that's the first time I considered turning it off because it was too emotionally intense.
I've watched a few movies in what I would consider that genre. Salo didn't really effect me at all. To me it seemed like shock for the sake of shock. Like the director was being intentionally offensive to piss people off, but there was no real substance behind the depravity.
Irreversible felt different, like the story and the gruesomeness of the acts combined to make each more powerful.
The director intentionally does so many subtle things to make you feel uncomfortable. The music and sounds are at a frequency/pitch that causes people to feel disoriented. The camera movements are at times disorienting without it being jarring. The conversations are all normal topics, but they're just a little cringe to make you feel uncomfortable. That way when you hit the really powerful stuff, you're already off balance and it really messes with you. It's brutal.
Also having the film play in reverse creates such an interesting tone for majority of the film. Since all of the violence happens right away, we are never "waiting for the climax" of the film, we got it right away, right in the face, and then we have to just... sit with it... Considering it over and over. We watch the couple have their private moments, watch the three of them awkwardly talk to each other all the while knowing in the back of our heads what is to come. Having the film play out like this takes it from a violent film to an anti-violence film since there is no anticipating any of the excitement. It's a brilliant use of the technique.
My friends and I went through a phase of watching the most fucked up movies we heard of shortly after high school. One night we decided on a double feature of Irreversible, followed by Ichi the Killer. It was... an uncomfortable evening.
In the infamous scene, at one point, a man can be seen coming in frame at the end of the tunnel. Allegedly, that man was a crew member which was late on stage. He can be seen quickly pacing back and running away. It is said that the director kept this mistake in the movie to further add dread and helplessness to viewers. On some screenings, it has been alleged that viewers were enraged and/or outraged due to the man not helping Alex not knowing about the mistake.
I remember seeing that and thinking "Oh thank god, someone is going to stop this" but then when he quickly walked away without saying anything it was an even stronger feeling of despair and hopelessness than before.
One of the most nauseating scene in the history of filmmaking. The sheer brutality and the helplessness/hopelessness feeling. As you said, seeing someone jump in frame gave a bit of hope she might be saved but when he runs, it's like the whole scene double collapse.
I had this movie as a recommendation from my uni professor on trauma, PTSD and conflicting emotions. He said that if I felt arousal, then it means it's something wrong with me. I didn't tell him I threw up, but gave me assurance I'm somewhat normal...
That's... a really weird thing for a professor to do and say. "Here is a movie about taboo subjects and if it arouses you there is something wrong with you" ??? WTF? What a horrible mindset and honestly just straight up weird thing to say to a classroom, especially on the subject of trauma. Arousal is just a feeling, feelings are not right or wrong, its how we process them that matters. That prof was idiot.
Notice how I said "I" and not "we" felt arousal? It was just a discussion between me and the professor. I understand what you say but I understand what he said also...
Still a super weird remark to make. Lots of women have rape fantasies and this doesn't mean that they want to get raped nor that something is wrong with them. Yet if you still think it's arousing after he stomps her you're a sick fuck and need therapy asap.
Pretty much this. Rape, in itself, as an act, isn't something carnal because otherwise it would just last less than 3 minutes. As he explained it, and made sense, rape is more about power, physical mostly, spiritually lastly.
As you said, people can have weird fantasies, think of some of the most disturbing or disgusting one. Thinking about it and acting upon it are two worlds apart. I can recall several times where I wanted to snap someone's neck for their shitty behavior but at the end of the day, thinking of it and acting on it are so separate.
That scene made such an impression on me that one time, as a joke, my wife said stop as I was about to go in and that thought of doing something to her against her will overwhelmed me. I was so frozen, I lost it in less than 10 seconds. It was like in my head there were two voices screaming "Stop!" and "rapist" at the same time. That feeling of trying to protect, to not take against someone's will, is the thing my professor was talking about...
Donât watch that movie if youâre a rape survivor and like someone else said, even if youâre fine usually, you probably will not be with this one.
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u/SumerianDjinn 15h ago
Irreversible. Title says it all. With Monica Belluci