Antichrist (2009): Damned if you Dont

The Antichrist stars William Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as parents that have recently lost their son, in an attempt to grieve they take a trip to a picturesque cabin in the woods (a little too cliché?), both deliver wonderful performances in what is Lars von Triers creepy attempt at horror. The end result is something quite special, not
necessarily in a good way but in a Trier kind of way.

The Antichrist explores themes of evil, nature, feminism and sex. And when I say sex I do mean real I simulated sex. Very few films venture into such a realm, but personally, I can only applaud those that have the bravery to do so. The sex is this used creatively and tastefully, some may say the sexual violence is at times too much, but I think it is used for great effect. Whether that effect is used efficiently enough is certainly questionable, and at times it detracts from the complex and intelligent, Freudian imagery that fills this film, the fox of chaos, being my favourite, nonetheless the sexual imagery gives Antichrist a unique and almost voyeuristic appeal.

All of that said the film also deals with even more controversial issues, that is once you have looked passed all the genital smooshing. Grief, and to be precise, the grief that comes with losing a child, this is what Antichrist really concerns itself with. The biggest
criticism here is that because of the more, shall we say, noticeable elements of this film, the grief is lost and one may even go as far as saying wasted.

In Triers’ mind perhaps the provocative parts of this film somehow emphasise the pain of the loss that the parents feel, but I couldn’t help but find that it both distracted from and complicated what could have been a very powerful and complex idea (complex as in simple yet complex). Is it to say that we are all just too dumb to quite understand the genius that is von Trier? I do not think it is. I just think that this film perhaps took a step too far. That being said is undeniable that Lars von Trier is a true genius of
film, and that is the best reason I can give you to go and watch Antichrist, simply because to understand genius, you must look at the bigger picture, to understand Trier you must look at his work as a whole, and it is phenomenal (even though Antichrist may not be).