This film from French film maker, Gaspar Noe, is true piece of art and is so full of message, content and cinematic elements that it will definitely not leave the viewer alone after the first viewing no more than after the future viewings. The butcher is living in a hell as his life has been destroyed, he has lost almost everything and all the people around him are bad, bad and even more bad and wicked. The butcher does not have a reason to live and continue his life among this filth. He has only one thing that has kept him alive and given him power and little motivation: his retarded and institution based daughter. What follows during the movie's running time is a plethora of cynicism, hate, disgust and depravity presented in a methods of cinema.
The film is full of more than dark visions of humanity and society in which nothing is kind or likable and everyone is selfish, evil and worth nothing. The people around the butcher are stupid, mean spirited and know nothing about loving and caring, and the whole vision of life and world is one of the darkest I've ever witnessed in film. Similar experiences among cinema are Pier Paolo Pasolini's Saló o le 120 Giornate di Sodoma, Buddy Giovinazzo's Combat Shock, Scorsese's Taxi Driver and T.F Mous' extremely hard to take Men Behind the Sun. These films are similar in theme and all are very hard to take (and understand, for most of the people) and powerful experiences. Why are things this way? What is wrong with us, that the world cannot be safe and warm place to live, and why there is a need for suicide and death. Why can't the world be such a place that everyone wants to live and no one tries to kill and finish someone other's life? These mentioned films (and similar films which I didn't mention) are perhaps the most important there is because they punch even stupid people right on the face and grab their attention and show the real faces of things. Seul Contre Tous is a kind of film, which may change people's attitudes and ways of living, and that is probably the greatest achievement a film maker can reach with his work.
The methods and cinematic magic used in Seul Contre Tous is something never before seen. The editing (extremely ominous), the gun shots at the soundtrack, the monologue by the protagonist, the little amount of actual dialogue, the use of colors and the texts appearing in the screen and the warning at the end are something that I had never seen before and they totally blew me away and left me speechless. How can a movie be this effective? It won't leave you alone and it appears again and again in your mind days after the watching. Last time, in my case, I felt such a "cinematic punch" when I viewed Darren Aronofsky's superb and incredible A Requiem for a Dream, which is similar in effect with Noe's film. The answer for the question how art/movie can be this powerful is of course the talent in these film makers, which so often and sadly tends to be neglected because of Hollywood mainstream productions and the large entertainment business. But it does not matter, because these artists can work and make films despite what mainstream thinks and prefers. I think that these mentioned films are almost as effective and perfect as any movie can be. It doesn't matter what large audience thinks because all they want is to have fun and eat pop corn, and they would not understand a bit about these important movies.
There is absolutely nothing optimistic in this film, although the end scene is not as pessimistic as the rest of the film (and is actually even optimistic), but I naturally won't spoil how this one ends. The end sums the director's conclusion and the butcher's conclusion and despite the viewer being totally numbed with realistic terror at that point, it forces to think and think hard. There is a way towards brighter and better world and as far as there is a will to help, alter and love, there is also a way to do it and express it.
I want also note that this film is definitely not for a casual viewer as this is so hard to take due to its extremely nihilistic attitudes, thoughts and imagery (both violent and sexual) so these challenging elements are too much for most of the people so don't even try to watch, if you feel uneasy with difficult and depressing material. I hate to read "reviews" from people, who have seen this and having understood nothing about it, they only abuse and express their loathing for the film, without even trying to understand its real points and merits. This is always the case with art cinema and especially "difficult" art cinema, because people usually don't want to interpret and don't want to think during a movie and after it. This is not entertainment, so mainstream fanatics/popcorn eaters stay far away!
And for last, but definitely not least, I want to mention one particular element which is one of the most original and unforgettable I've ever seen:
*A slight spoiler ahead*
Before the notorious end scene and "bursting" there is is a warning which says that there is 30 seconds time to leave the theatre..At the same time, a the butcher speaks and indicates that what will happen and what is his conclusion. And then, the end scene begins and there is no chance to get out of theatre anymore...It has to be experienced because it gives so ominous and powerful effect to the film and to what will follow. And what follows is really shocking and inconsolable. The scene itself is brutal in mental but also in graphic way but is never gratuitous or needless.
*no spoilers anymore!*
That end scene reminded me of Takashi Miike's incredible masterpiece Audition which also has one of the greatest endings and disturbing moments in the history of cinema. Audition and Seul Contre Tous are very different films in content, but both share the magnificent talent and use of cinematic techniques and both are very important achievements for their makers.
I hope that this writing doesn't sound too praising and I have tried to make this as closely argued and explained as possible. Seul Contre Tous is Gaspar Noe's masterpiece and I hope that he can continue his work in this field and make more this kind of personal, provoking and definitely challenging cinema.
10 bright stars for Seul Contre Tous and its creator, the great artist Gaspar Noe.
The film is full of more than dark visions of humanity and society in which nothing is kind or likable and everyone is selfish, evil and worth nothing. The people around the butcher are stupid, mean spirited and know nothing about loving and caring, and the whole vision of life and world is one of the darkest I've ever witnessed in film. Similar experiences among cinema are Pier Paolo Pasolini's Saló o le 120 Giornate di Sodoma, Buddy Giovinazzo's Combat Shock, Scorsese's Taxi Driver and T.F Mous' extremely hard to take Men Behind the Sun. These films are similar in theme and all are very hard to take (and understand, for most of the people) and powerful experiences. Why are things this way? What is wrong with us, that the world cannot be safe and warm place to live, and why there is a need for suicide and death. Why can't the world be such a place that everyone wants to live and no one tries to kill and finish someone other's life? These mentioned films (and similar films which I didn't mention) are perhaps the most important there is because they punch even stupid people right on the face and grab their attention and show the real faces of things. Seul Contre Tous is a kind of film, which may change people's attitudes and ways of living, and that is probably the greatest achievement a film maker can reach with his work.
The methods and cinematic magic used in Seul Contre Tous is something never before seen. The editing (extremely ominous), the gun shots at the soundtrack, the monologue by the protagonist, the little amount of actual dialogue, the use of colors and the texts appearing in the screen and the warning at the end are something that I had never seen before and they totally blew me away and left me speechless. How can a movie be this effective? It won't leave you alone and it appears again and again in your mind days after the watching. Last time, in my case, I felt such a "cinematic punch" when I viewed Darren Aronofsky's superb and incredible A Requiem for a Dream, which is similar in effect with Noe's film. The answer for the question how art/movie can be this powerful is of course the talent in these film makers, which so often and sadly tends to be neglected because of Hollywood mainstream productions and the large entertainment business. But it does not matter, because these artists can work and make films despite what mainstream thinks and prefers. I think that these mentioned films are almost as effective and perfect as any movie can be. It doesn't matter what large audience thinks because all they want is to have fun and eat pop corn, and they would not understand a bit about these important movies.
There is absolutely nothing optimistic in this film, although the end scene is not as pessimistic as the rest of the film (and is actually even optimistic), but I naturally won't spoil how this one ends. The end sums the director's conclusion and the butcher's conclusion and despite the viewer being totally numbed with realistic terror at that point, it forces to think and think hard. There is a way towards brighter and better world and as far as there is a will to help, alter and love, there is also a way to do it and express it.
I want also note that this film is definitely not for a casual viewer as this is so hard to take due to its extremely nihilistic attitudes, thoughts and imagery (both violent and sexual) so these challenging elements are too much for most of the people so don't even try to watch, if you feel uneasy with difficult and depressing material. I hate to read "reviews" from people, who have seen this and having understood nothing about it, they only abuse and express their loathing for the film, without even trying to understand its real points and merits. This is always the case with art cinema and especially "difficult" art cinema, because people usually don't want to interpret and don't want to think during a movie and after it. This is not entertainment, so mainstream fanatics/popcorn eaters stay far away!
And for last, but definitely not least, I want to mention one particular element which is one of the most original and unforgettable I've ever seen:
*A slight spoiler ahead*
Before the notorious end scene and "bursting" there is is a warning which says that there is 30 seconds time to leave the theatre..At the same time, a the butcher speaks and indicates that what will happen and what is his conclusion. And then, the end scene begins and there is no chance to get out of theatre anymore...It has to be experienced because it gives so ominous and powerful effect to the film and to what will follow. And what follows is really shocking and inconsolable. The scene itself is brutal in mental but also in graphic way but is never gratuitous or needless.
*no spoilers anymore!*
That end scene reminded me of Takashi Miike's incredible masterpiece Audition which also has one of the greatest endings and disturbing moments in the history of cinema. Audition and Seul Contre Tous are very different films in content, but both share the magnificent talent and use of cinematic techniques and both are very important achievements for their makers.
I hope that this writing doesn't sound too praising and I have tried to make this as closely argued and explained as possible. Seul Contre Tous is Gaspar Noe's masterpiece and I hope that he can continue his work in this field and make more this kind of personal, provoking and definitely challenging cinema.
10 bright stars for Seul Contre Tous and its creator, the great artist Gaspar Noe.