- When I was 16, I worked at an independent theater in Santa Rosa, California. I had wanted my first real job to be something I actually believed in and thought was cool. The Rialto Cinemas Lakeside showed movies that were independently produced, foreign films, and had an annual Jewish Film Series as well as an LGBT Film Series. And one day, the poster for Irreversible showed up in our lobby, displaying another possible film that would come our way. I was immediately intrigued. And although we never played the film, I searched it out and saw it on my own, and immediately fell in love with Gaspar Noe's inimitable style.
I now have this poster hanging on my wall.
Climax marks Noe's newest film. It is also the smallest gap he's had between feature films, at only three years. Climax stars Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond) and Noe's trademark inexperienced actors in the story of a dance troupe. I went to go see this film at the Alamo Drafthouse last night with a friend. When we picked up his girlfriend afterwards, she asked us, "What was the movie about?" We could only laugh, and exclaim, "A dance troupe?"
Noe is, for me, the modern king of the ultimate nightmare. Early in the film, there's an expertly put together choreographed dance, all done in one long take. The troupe is mostly young dancers, inexperienced and looking for their big break. As they relax from the choreography, the camera drifts from spot to spot, following everyone and no one, in Noe's style that was most present in Enter the Void. The dance, the jokes the group starts telling, the friendliness of the scenes all invite us in, and establish a normalcy which we'll soon enough take a vast departure from. Because at this dance rehearsal, someone has laced the sangria with some bad acid.
When this acid starts kicking in, the extremes that Gaspar Noe takes the audience to range drastically. What the movie devolves to takes us in exploration of anything and everything which could be considered torturous, psychologically damaging, and taboo. If you're familiar with Noe's other works, you'll know what to expect. He has no off switch, nothing is off limits, and with all that said, he will have moments of break away. Moments where touching, thoughtful, and personal moments happen. With just us as the witnesses, he's presenting us the whole story, and thus his philosophy. The horror and the disgust of life is only matched with it's extreme beauty.
Every version of hell is present in this movie. If hell for you is desire, being ignored, physical assault, self harm, racism, suicide, incest, your child, responsibility, love, if hell for you is nothing, it's all present. A lot of times while the worst of the worst is happening, there's still someone somewhere in the background, just dancing away and having a grand old time. It's a constant reminder for us: Not only a reminder of where this film came from and the simplicity once present, but a reminder that for everyone hell is indeed different. Some people could rise above the idea of hell and simply dance.
Gaspar Noe once again floods his film with truly excellent music, cinematography, great acting, interesting lighting and fantastic sets and minimalism. He drifts around, leaving some huge spectacle behind to take us into an intimate room, seemingly ignoring the more interesting other scenes going on. "It felt like a documentary" my friend said later, "it feels like we're there, as the cameraman, never a part of the conversations, not drinking the sangria, and unfortunately doing nothing to help out in the end madness". This film has a utter sense of helplessness, a complete feeling of eerie detachment and deep, impending doom.
Is it horror? Is it anything? This film felt genre-less. At first I was delighted by the dance and comedy. Truly hilarious moments happen. Then later, as the disgust and the sickening events happen, I felt sick and terrified. This movie, much like the works of David Lynch, has a way of knowing exactly where the audience doesn't want to go, and then taking us right there. So if you're a fan of independent cinema, something different, something artistic and truly horrific not just in feel but in idea, then check out Climax.
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