Antichrist (2009)

A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.

Director:

Lars von Trier

Writer:

Lars von Trier

Stars:

Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm

19 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Willem Dafoe	...	He
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	She
Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm	...	Nic

Storyline

A couple lose their young son when he falls out of a window while they are having sex in another room. The mother's grief consigns her to hospital, but her therapist husband brings her home intent on treating her depression himself. To confront her fears they go to stay at their remote cabin in the woods, "Eden", where something untold happened the previous summer. Told in four chapters with a prologue and epilogue, the film details acts of lustful cruelty as the man and woman unfold the darker side of nature outside and within.

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Plot Keywords:

cabin | nature | woods | cabin in the woods | chapters | 

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Taglines:

When nature turns evil, true terror awaits. (UK)

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [jp]

Country:

Denmark Germany France Sweden Italy Poland

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 2009 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Anticristo

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$11,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$71,397 (USA) (23 October 2009)

Gross:

$397,070 (USA) (11 December 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zentropa Entertainments, Zentropa International Köln, Slot Machine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (some scenes)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lars von Trier regarded his post-depression version of the script as some kind of an exercise for himself, to see if he had recovered enough to be able to work again. Trier has also made references to August Strindberg and his Inferno Crisis in the 1890s, comparing it to his own writing under difficult mental circumstances: "was Antichrist my Inferno Crisis?"

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Goofs

In the prologue as the child is falling, the teddy bear disappears from the side shot as the child is approaching the ground.

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Quotes

He: What I understood, was that you wanted to write alone. So you could finish your thesis.
She: But I didn't.
He: You didn't.
She: You see? You didn't even know that.
He: Why did you give up? That's not like you.
She: The whole project just seemed less important, up there. As you said, when I talked to you about my subject: 'glib.'
He: I never called your subject glib.
She: Perhaps you didn't use that word, but that's what you meant. And, all of a sudden, it was glib. Or, even worse, some kind of lie.
He: I see.
She: No, you don't see. ...

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Connections

References Europa (1991)

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Soundtracks

"'Lascia ch'io pianga' from 'Rinaldo'"
Composed by George Frideric Handel (as Georg Friedrich Händel)
Performed by Karina Gauvin and Tempo Rubato
Conducted by Alexander Weimann
Courtesy of ATMA Classique

User Reviews

When movies become art

Antichrist is an excellent and not often seen chance to see a magnificent piece of art. The director Lars Von Trier has always attempted to go beyond the limits of what could be shown in a movie without compromising his artistic vision. And in antichrist he succeeds. A sometimes hard and gruelling movie to watch - I am at this point, a mere 1½ hour after exciting the movie theater, still deeply affected by the fantastic imagery and the cruel nauseating violence and self molestation. This is definitely a must see movie - if not for anything else, then at least for the splendid acting performances and the absolutely genius photographing. Von Trier has succeeded in creating a movie that is going to shock and must likely offend - but also assure movie buffs like myself - that there are still movie directors about that knows how to create masterpieces in a time where mainstream seems to be all there is.