No one would dare to direct it, much less now. "Time destroys everything," emphasizes the tape, but we still do not forget the heartbreaking scene with Monica Bellucci after 20 years.
A traumatic night in Paris. Alex (Monica Bellucci) is brutally r-ped and beaten by a stranger in the underpass. Powerless and full of rage, the woman's lover (Vincent Cassel) and her ex-boyfriend (Albert Dupontel) take justice into their hands and search for the assailant, a homos-xual who frequents the local Rectum.
Irreversible, a French film spawned by Gaspar Noé, caused a stir during its premiere at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. Some 250 people walked out of the screening, calling it repulsive, misogynistic and immoral. A more accurate qualifier would be 'ultraviolent', the first reason why it became a cult work over the years.
The controversial scene takes place in a fixed shot and lasts for nine endless minutes. It was not enough to cover your eyes, but your ears in the face of the crudeness of the attack. However, it is a realistic reflection of what usually happens in the world and the director had no qualms about capturing it. For him, the static camera prevents the attack from having erotic connotations, and we don't discuss that.
“The r-pe had to be as powerful and unpleasant as possible,” Noé told The Guardian, explaining that another public perception would be worrying. "Like in 'A Clockwork Orange,' when Malcolm McDowell is shown horror footage, to prevent him from doing that kind of thing, it's useful to show himself," he reflected on the intentions of his film.
The recording of him took two days and was repeated up to six times. Bellucci's ex-partner initially rejected her involvement, but the actress went ahead knowing she had never gone this far filming with the director. 20 years later, we can say that she ended up starring in one of the cruelest scenes in history.
It is known that Gaspar Noé's cinema is synonymous with transgression, but not only because of its strong graphic content, but also because of its twisted forms. Either with his unleashed and unforgiving camera or the genius of having narrated the harsh events in reverse chronological order in this case. A complete cinephile revelation for those who have never seen narrative structures of this type.
How long does Irreversible last?
“Irreversible” has a duration of 1 hour and 37 minutes, but its dense plot makes the film seem longer.
