Some Stuff You Might Like to Gaspar Noe

His latest film (still in post production) Enter the Void is due out early 2009 and I, along with many fans, am eagerly awaiting this like a bunch of vigilantes waiting for an excuse to take the law in to their own hands. One of the reasons for this anticipation is Noe’s own words in an interview stating his ambition with this project in regards to film history, “enter the void will try to improve upon its predecessors and accompany the hero just as much in his normal state of awareness as in his altered states: the state of alertness, the stream of consciousness, memories, dreams ...”. Although this idea in film isn’t new, Noe suggests he wants to push the boundaries of cinematic language, create “the Magic Mountain which I, as a spectator, dream of riding on”. This is exciting news considering this is the man that produced the most shocking film of the first decade of the 21st century in Irreversible and the superb dark drama debut I Stand Alone (a film which led some critics to call him “some sort of genius”). I thought this an apt time as any to give some thoughts (mainly in respect towards the editing) on his previous works.
I was introduced to this director through watching Irreversible late night, alone a year or so after its (very limited) cinematic release. I had read bits and pieces about it being a very graphically depicted story but I wasn’t prepared for the sense of terror and blunt object to face style visuals. The next day I still felt the film’s affect on me, something which hadn’t happened since the days when my main income was some imaginary tooth merchant. Images would appear in my mind, the emotion of the film would manifest inside me, it really had restored the power of cinema in my eyes. On repeat viewings I began to realise the level of skill in terms of production and acting that was on show here. The use of digital editing is arguable the films biggest achievement. Nearly every single frame has been manipulated in some way, yet the film still looks and feels organic. The entire picture consists of six single takes which have been stitched together with some impressive hidden edits and bravado camera work (a lot of which Noe filmed himself) to create a film that feels instantly modern but not gimmicky. It also allowed Noe to ‘direct after shoot’ as the frame can be digitally moved to create new shots (the majority was filmed in super 16mm, giving a large area to crop and adjust in the edit). You really have to see how the camera zips from inside an apartment building to outside a night club in one seamless movement or how the camera moves in and out of a moving car during a frenetic taxi ride to understand.
It has been criticised for its ultra violent depictions, something the film is more than notorious for but I believe its lasting impressions come from the talented acting, which breathes real life in to the images conveying real emotion. I was even more impressed when I learnt it was largely improvised and shot within three weeks. It must be Monica Bellucci’s finest (if horrific) performance as the ill-fated Alex. Cassel and Depontel both give great turns as current and former lover of Alex depicting the different sides of the male condition.
It is very much a male film that taps deep into ones inner desires and fears; man’s right to seek revenge, man’s want for revenge? It’s a powerful cinematic experience that should be undertaken with caution as Noe gives you a skilfully crafted visceral dose of fear.
He also manages to squeeze in a scene at the beginning with ‘The Butcher’ (Phillippe Nahon) from his first film I Stand Alone, which impressively links the two worlds of his two features together, also resolving the open ending from that film in the process.
I naturally sought out this film which wasn’t available in the UK but, thanks to ebay, picked up a DVD copy distributed by Strand (a smudgy print I have to add) and watched it as soon as it dropped through my letter box. It definitely feels a more sedated work (maybe the fact that slow infrequent budget injections slowed the films production forcing a more regimented work flow) but still has the feel of Irreversible, that feeling of a real filmmaker at work and ultimately I believe a more complete picture.
It tells the story of an unnamed middle aged former butcher who (after a brief stint in prison) has begun to give up on life. He only sees things at the most cynical and primeval level and Noe forces us to see the world through these eyes. A subtle but powerful performance by Nahon brings this character and world to life as we head towards the climax of the film which is signposted by inter-titles giving you 30 seconds to leave the cinema or turn off your DVD player.
Again the editing is outstanding. A recurring editing theme deployed throughout is what I refer to as ‘bang cuts’ which resemble rapid, frame jumping cuts with camera movement accompanied by loud gunshot sounding audio. These type of edits aggressively punctuate the film, reminding you of cinema’s constructed nature and reflect the brutal thought process of our (anti) hero (He also audaciously uses one for an ellipsis in time).
A more subtle use of editing is also on display here which demonstrates Noe’s grammatical flair. For example, near the beginning of the film we move from a night time interior of a bedroom to the daytime interior of a butcher’s shop. Instead of a fade or dissolve, Noe uses an inter cut sequence of 4 images (both the spiked corners of the butcher’s shop interior, a close up of the Protagonists’ face and a mid shot of him and the other characters inside the shop) to move us between the two settings and give graphical representation of the protagonists’ inner feelings. It’s the filmic version of a brilliant writer who seamlessly links two paragraphs, something (unlike my co-blogger Abe) I could obviously improve on!
It wasn’t surprising to read that some critics had drawn comparisons with I stand Alone and Taxi Driver. Both films force us to view the worlds through cynical and sometimes evil eyes. I feel I Stand Alone however, dares to show you more, dares to probe deeper. It shows us a decaying world where all colour of life have been saturated so much that “entering the void”, as the butcher puts it, becomes a viable option.
The filmic life of the butcher doesn’t finish with I Stand Alone, his first outing was in Noe’s short (well medium) film Carne. Made before I Stand Alone, it depicts his earlier life and the incident that led to his imprisonment. Shot in near identical fashion, Noe’s superb attention to dramatic tension and brutal cinematic techniques are on clear display. The red and brown colour palate of these films are in complete contrast to Noe’s other collaborative short feature La Bouche de Jean-Pierre. Tackling the issue of paedophilia, it is obvious to glean that Noe isn’t afraid to take on difficult subject matter. After an attempted suicide by a middle aged woman leaves her hospital bound, her daughter is taken into care by a friend. The film focuses on the young girl as she deals with the absence of her mother, the advances of the friend’s partner and social isolation. It has an interesting editing style of whip pans and graphic matches coupled with loudly punctuated inter-titles (the latter technique resurfaces in I Stand Alone).
His other work includes numerous music videos (I suggest checking out the inventive video for Arielle’s Si Mince on youtube), the bluntly titled We Fuck Alone which was part of the Districted collection of short films about pornography. A horrifically gruesome but strangely funny short piece Sodimites (worth sitting trough for the rapid editing and roaming camera work), four poetic pieces called Eva 1-4 and films for the French government about safe sex.
So what does he have in store for us in with his new film? For the first time he has a serious budget, an experienced production team (the team that helped produce the Japanese Vengeance trilogy) and time. It certainly won’t be easy viewing but given the choice between easy bland cinema and challenging works of art I think I’m going to give the void a try.

Ben New