By Ally Cunningham
Having just watched the violent exhibition that is Passion of the Christ, I didn’t think things could get any worse. That is, until, I saw Lars von Trier’s Antichrist; the antithesis of all things holy, as the title suggests. If you are a member of Satan’s church, Antichrist is the film for you. The movie begins with the psychotic Willam Dafoe, passionately nailing his wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg. While this horribly creepy, black and white, slow motion sex scene plays out, the couple’s infant child falls to his death from a high-story window. The mishap causes Gainsbourg’s character to launch into a spiraling vortex of heavy depression and derangement.
As the film progresses, the crackbrained character played by Gainsbourg and her husband, Dafoe, (whose characters are mysteriously unnamed throughout the entire film) recede to a place they ironically call “Eden” in hopes of regrouping after the tragedy of their child’s death. It is after their move to Eden that Gainsbourg is penetrated by the devil himself. All goes downhill from there.
I personally found the film very thrilling; von Trier compels you to watch the galling images unfold even when you so desperately want to look away. Although it’s not the director’s best work (check out Dogville), I recommend the film based on the unparalleled shock value alone. Antichrist is a never-ending, bloodbath porno that should be viewed before quiet hours because you WILL scream.