Antichrist (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

This is the most difficult opinion I have ever given, for while I give this film a 5-out-of-5 as a work of art, I believe that 97 out of 100 filmgoers will be strongly offended by some of the explicit images that are included in the visual narrative. Therefore I could recommend this film only to those 3 out of 100 who would agree with me that these images exist in the film not for their shock value but because they are necessary for an understanding of what these characters encounter under the influence of the dark side of Nature. Unless the viewer is compelled to watch, he or she cannot understand the pain (or the madness). Other than that, there is an extraordinary similarity here (in visuals other than the shocking ones alluded to above) in the director's observations of nature and those of Sartre in his fiction, a theme clearly enunciated in one of von Trier's other films "Melancholia". Whether or not the filmmaker is an "existentialist" or, from a different perspective, a Gnostic, it seems clear in "Antichrist" and "Melancholia" that von Trier is coming to the same conclusions about the Human Condition as the adherents of those philosophies. And for those of us who have come to those same conclusions, whether existentialist, Gnostic or otherwise, it is somehow comforting to know that we are not alone. On a less weighty note, it has to be said that Charlotte Gainsbourg has an extraordinary amount of courage

Know what you are getting into before watching this film. It's dark, satanic, gory and depressing. I love it! Wish it was in 4K!

A wild, disturbing, psychological film which shows the ugly sides of grief and remorse. No slip cover, but comes in a nice Criterion case, along with a booklet. Arrived with nothing broken nor any chips.

I've liked everything I've seen of Lars von Trier's work. I thought the "Kingdom" series was awesome, and I really enjoyed "Dogville". I also enjoy horror, and heard this was Lars von Trier's take on the genre. Personally, I enjoyed "Antichrist". It's visually and psychologically effective as an "avant garde" horror film. I've read some reviews calling it inherently misogynistic. I'm not sure I 100% agree with that, but I don't 100% disagree either. I feel like the intentions of the characters are vague enough that you can't make a blanket assumption that all of the motivations come from a misogynistic place. Both She and He have their individual neuroses and they act those neuroses out upon each other (and themselves) throughout the movie. I think von Trier's goal is for the individual viewer to determine for themselves how guilty or righteous or ambiguous either characters intentions are. And, as always for von Trier, some of what's there is there simply to provoke thoughts/emotions/reactions from his audience by being.... well, provocative. With all of that being said, a warning: This is REALLYREALLYREALLY not a good movie to watch if you're at all squeamish. It's not a good movie to watch if you're just looking for standard horror fare. I'm trying to be 100% spoiler free, so I'll just say: if you read a spoiler review, you'll hear that there are definitely some body horror moments that are...unique to this film. But if your sole goal is to see those moments, the rest of the movie won't be worth it.In my opinion, anyway.

[Edit: 11/10/10 Received my pre-order copy yesterday. Criterion delivers! The following address some serious pre-release ambiguieties/anomalies.] Big Questions that need answering for this Criterion Release. Many are unthinkable for such a prestigious company as Criterion, but they're demanded and need circulation/speculation prior to the release: 1. The Region 2 copy for France listed on Amazon is 120 minutes. This one is listed as a 108 minute runtime. The Catholic version was the one released for theaters in France. Is Criterion releasing the uncut "Catholic" version or the cut"Protestant" version? Will obtaining an unspoiled copy of a cinematic masterwork be as difficult as it currently is to find a legitimate copy of LvT's "The Idiots"? 2. The US is a 'prude market' according to Zentropa Entertainments: "We reached an agreement with Lars more than a year ago to make a 'Catholic' version of the movie, to cut some scenes and replace them with others," Peter Aalbaek Jensen, the head of the Zentropa production group, told AFP. "Otherwise it would be impossible to sell (it) to prude markets like southern Europe, Asia and the United States, where you can't show a naked man from the front," he said. [taken from France 24 online news] 3. IFC's released version was uncut. 4. IFC and Criterion recently made a merger. 5. Amazon needs to make this information available and clearly listed on the product page and the blue ray format, otherwise it WILL find itself having a disproportionately high return rate for this product. This is a niche market. This director has a hardcore following and attracts broad interest and attention even on the merit of purely his technical skills and sensationalism that surrounds his releases. People who WANT this film want to see it, own it in its entirety. We are not a prude market, we have prude authorities. This release will suffer severe curtailing of sales if Criterion/ifc have bent over backwards to political pressure. The Protestant version WILL be boycotted by American consumers en masse.

Graphic, Violent and Sexually Explicit Content: This film is unrated. A Danish production that wasn't commercially targeted to US audiences, this should not be a surprise. Anyone remotely familiar with Lars von Trier's overall work as a whole will also not be surprised that had it been submitted to the MPAA, it would have, without question, garnered an NC-17 rating. In general, Scandinavian films do not shy away from graphic or explicit content with very adult themes. I don't consider this a perfect film, but it is an excellent exploration of very deep depression resulting from profound loss, unforgiving guilt and unremitting grief. Antichrist is not intended to be a "feel good" movie with a "happy ending" of human will and spirit prevailing triumphantly. Just the opposite. It can be classed in the "horror" genre but if you're expecting a "slasher" with blood spurting everywhere and gore galore flying about, seek out the George Romero zombie movies. You won't find it in this film. It's graphic, and explicitly so, with the combination of emotional and physical pain inflicted and suffered as a husband attempts to recover his wife and their relationship from the depths of her extreme guilt, grief and the resulting depression. The horror is their slow surreal spiral downward to a tragic ending. It's shockingly provocative. The audience is supposed to cringe at the physical pain and feel the extreme emotional pain. Not a 5-star which I don't dish out much, but a solid 4+ stars. It delivers a very visceral insight into the abyss of extreme depression, and is the first in von Trier's unofficial Depression Trilogy, followed by Melancholia, the mildest of the three, and then a much more sexually explicit, provocative and quite lengthy, but less physically violent, Nymphomaniac.

Beautiful, thought-provoking, uncompromising, deeply disturbing, entirely unique and unforgettable. Pretentious, disgusting, exploitative, cheap, meaningless art-house garbage. The worst kind of art is that which fails to make an impression or sits squarely in a comfort zone. With Antichrist, indifference is not an option. No matter what side of the fence you end up on, this film will provoke a reaction... and that's always the mark of a good film. If you have an open mind and an appreciation for films as a medium of art, one that stretches beyond the bounds of entertainment, you won't regret watching this film. No matter how difficult or draining it may be, it is an uncompromised vision that is provocative, unflinching, and masterfully executed. That's a rarity in cinema these days that shouldn't be missed by those who truly love the medium.

I'm not sure if I can review this film. I'm not sure if I just finished watching a dream or a movie. I wish I hadn't watched it alone...then I could volley with another and ask questions...much like the questions that were asked in the film. "Antichrist" definitely breaks new ground...but I'm not sure I'd place it any one genre of film. It covers all genres, with the exception of comedy. This one is creepy...profound...riveting...a masterpiece in its own right. There's nothing else I can say, other than Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg are superb. This is not for just any movie-goer. This one crosses many lines and its graphic nature is a must to set the stage and mood for terror, love, compassion, fear...and most of all..."Grief", "Pain", and "Despair".