I don't really have any opinions on Noe other than thinking this was technically impressive and effective, albeit feel-bad and indulgent. Nowhere near as bad as The Whale. As far as Refn goes, Drive is very good and The Neon Demon is great.
Def feel-bad and indulgent. It wounds you in a way. But goddamn is it mesmerizing. The images and emotions stay with you. Need to see those Refn movies still
I still have not seen Irreversible. On my list, but this seems substantially less disturbing, which is ironic given how feel-bad it is. I think this is the only one of his I have seen
I think Climax is a good starting point, it gives you a good idea of his style and is probably a more palatable entry than something like Irreversible or Enter the Void.
Irreversible was absolutely horrifying. That film has lived with me for decades. Can't say if it's good or not, but it's certainly effective.
Enter the Void is POV and the camerawork is really wonderful. Total visual spectacle. Just maybe don't take the story so seriously Climax isn't POV
Gaspar Noe films are shock for the sake of shock. It is like someone swearing at children in a grocery store.
mine was Enter the Void. I just cannot recommend Irreversible in good faith and that's not even me saying it's a bad movie. It's just that horrific.
It is about punishing the audience. That is why the rape scene in Irreversible goes on so long. That is why we get a point-of-view shot of a vagina getting ejaculated into in Enter the Void. It is very similar to what Refn and Lars von Trier do, but at least Trier made some great films.
I don't think Refn's movies are about punishing the audience at all. Stylistic similarities, sure, but imo Refn attempts to evoke the feelings of older exploitation cinema with a modern visual flare.
I also think there's more to exploitation cinema than "punishing the audience," but I know that's an argument being made towards certain directors and not the genre as a whole.
I mean, that shot in Enter the Void is artistically done, and within a larger abstract sequence about reincarnation and the moment of conception. I feel like the ejaculation shot we get in Love is moreso provocative for provocation’s sake.
I think there can be artistic value in putting the audience through uncomfortable or difficult situations but I don't think shock or punishment is the end goal for any of these filmmakers, just tools they all happen to use. Obviously how effective that's going to be in creating a meaningful experience will vary from person to person which is why they're so divisive, but I think being able to confront horrific things within the safety of art can be powerful and cathartic.
Everyone has a line and Noe crosses it for me several times throughout many of his movies. But there’s something fascinating about them in their willingness to go so far combined with his technical ability. Dude’s camerawork is simply off the charts. Climax is especially interesting in how it lays bare those polar extremes of human conscience. You get the impression that Noe is interested in teasing that line everyone has and he enjoys dwelling in that tension.