First Dogtooth then this.
Enter the Void is the third film from director Gaspar Noe. I reviewed Irreversible (Movie #88) his second film and declared it a masterpiece. I stick to that comment. Noe has again returned to the visual well that made that film so successful.
Unfortunately it didn't quite work me me as much this time around. I thought at first that he was just recycling the same camera techniques in a new surrounding. But that was not the case by the end of the movie. Enter the Void is about a young American man living in Tokyo making a living as a drug dealer. He gets enough money together to move his sister in with him. She arrives and gets a job as a stripper working for a sleaze bag to her brothers chagrin.
The two of them were being driven around by their parents when they were children when the car was hit head on by a semi truck and they witnessed first hand their parents brutal death. After that they were taken to separate foster homes.
During a drug deal gone wrong the protagonist get shot by the police and killed. The last 90 minutes of this movie is being told through his "souls" perspective as it floats over Tokyo watching all of the filth and repulsive behavior.
The entire movie is shown through the first person technique. Complete with blinking and acid trips. Once Oscar dies, his soul has flashbacks where the camera is placed behind him and her relives the events of his youth. Mostly the negative ones.
During the early part of the film Oscars friend gives him a copy of "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" which deals largely with the existence of the soul and reincarnation.
The last hour of this movie is a meandering mess. I was bored out of my mind. I kept checking the clock to see when it was going to end. There is A LOT to look at. Noe's Tokyo is a neon psychedelic wonderland. But that was not enough for me to over look the total lack of a plot. I usually like a film that dissects the traditional narrative structure (Irreversible is a great example) but this film became rambling and incoherent.
The acting was really weak as well. The good friend of Oscar is decent, but that is about all I had to hold on and he doesn't demand a lot of screen time. There was a lot of pestilence for pestilence sake too. There is a graphic abortion scene and segments of explict and taboo sex acts that didn't do anything to move the film along. Shock should not be a substitute for sustenance.
***SPOILER ALERT*** At the end of the film, Oscar's soul decided to be reincarnated as his sisters and best friends baby. This point is driven home by the camera moving into the woman's vagina. At this point we can see the head of the friends penis being shoved in and out until ejaculation is reached. We then follow the stream of fluid through her anatomy until we reach an egg where it is penetrated and we are whooshed out of the womb as a baby ready to suckle at the tit of Oscars sister.
In closing, this movie has moments of genius. From a visual and special effects standpoint Noe can not be touched. However, he needs an editor. This movie is almost 2.5 hours long. at least an hour longer than it needed to be. I have mad respect for Noe's bravery and vision, but I also have ZERO intentions of every watching this movie again. I give Enter the Void a 2.5/5 stars. Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.
And a total side note: The opening credit sequence is an assault on the eyes and ears of the viewer. I highly recommend checking them out on YouTube!
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