ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies

LARS VON TRIER is no stranger to controversy. Films like Breaking The Waves, The Idiots and Dogville have all been attacked for their artistic pretensions, twisted view of religion and rampant misogyny. In the past, it has always been possible to defend Von Trier, but Antichrist crosses a boundary where honourable intentions are lost in a swirl of dubious, attention-seeking sensationalism. Retreating from the self-imposed restrictions of the Danish Dogme movement, Von Trier presents Antichrist as a feverish fantasy with painterly images that belong to the mind of Heironymous Bosch. The opening sequence is filmed in lush black and white with a couple in the throws of passionate lovemaking as their infant son falls through an open window to his death.

The mother (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is overcome with grief, seeking distraction in an insatiable appetite for sex. The father (Willem Dafoe) is a therapist who demands that she face up to her feelings and fears.

They retreat to a mountain cabin, their rural “Eden”, where events turn into a battle of the sexes depicted in graphic, gruelling violence and self-mutilation.

Antichrist seems to be a quasi-religious attempt to depict the anguish of a troubled soul, but it also feels like a misogynistic, torture-porn thriller that grows increasingly surreal and unconvincing.

The moment a talking fox informs us that “chaos reigns” is the moment when the urge to give Von Trier the benefit of the doubt is replaced by the giggles of outright derision. Antichrist may prove to be the most notorious film of the year, but it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want to waste good money for the privilege of seeing it.

Nationwide release
Director: Lars Von Trier
Cast: Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Dafoe, Storm Acheche Sahlstrom
Screenwriter: Lars Von Trier
Certificate: 18
Running time: 108 mins
Country: Denmark
Year: 2009