Enter the Void (Soudain la vide)

Poster

Gaspar Noé, former enfant terrible of the French cinema world, is a bit mental. No longer an enfant, much of what he commits to celluloid is still terrible – in the truest sense of the word. He has been linked to the movement dubbed the New French Extremity and his previous feature was the profoundly disturbing Irréversible, famous for its never-ending rape scene, amongst other things. His most recent film, Enter the Void, is also transgressive, but is ultimately concerned with the metaphysical matters of life and death – and psychotropic substances.

Before giving a synopsis of the story, I should make clear that the film is completely bat-shit and quite possibly a classic; therefore, what might sound very simple is actually much more: a mind-bending and unforgettable trip (pun intended).

It is initially filmed, blinks ‘n’ all, from the perspective of the protagonist, Oscar, a small-time American drug dealer living in Tokyo with his younger sister. Crucially he has just started reading the Tibetan Book of the Dead, given to him by a hirsute Gallic buddy, and is fascinated by all hallucinogenic drugs. The same evening, he is shot dead in the toilet of a nightclub called The Void after a drug deal goes wrong. From that point on, the camera leaves his body and floats above the city: the soul’s-eye view – at once exploring the impact of his death on those closest to him and looking for a new place to be reincarnated. Reliving a tragic past through traumatic memories and dreams of the characters, the movie is a unique ride, where one is never sure quite what to expect.

It should be noted that the cinematography in this film is some of the best I have ever seen. The camera seamlessly swoops through rooms and walls, rises above the city, and goes in and out of people’s heads and bodies. It is mesmerizing from first to last. The acting, however, is not. It grates at the start, as the French guy is particularly terrible: as natural as Prince Philip at a rave. After you become immersed in the films aesthetic, though, it is less noticeable, but still, occasionally, frustrating. The film is really long, too, but it’s a case of: could he have done it any other way? Not really, for me.

Critics have noted that it’s “not everyone’s cup of tea”, presumably because a lot of it looks like an art film, has a “nightmare-porn aesthetic” and contains abortion, full-frontal nudity, erect penises, in-body ejaculation, Freudian incest, drugs and more. But is the point of art, of which cinema is a medium, not to challenge? To make us think about life anew?

One man’s pretentious (a word used more often than not by idiots) is another man’s life-affirming. Annoying in its “Is-The-Void-really-life-or-death” sort of way, I would recommend this film to everyone, as Noé is definitely trying something new with the medium, which very few can say they are. Long, ambient, indulgent, loopy and frustrating it may be, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a classic.