Enter the Void (2009)

By Thomas Flanagan (guest blogger)

Warning: Spoilers follow.

In this modern age of film, an era where CGI graphics have become a crutch for uninspired filmmaking, it can be a crusade to find a film that is both innovative and visually stunning. We as “old-timers” hearken back to the model spaceships of Star Wars and the mechanized shark of Jaws. We cry foul at the diluted, polluted, and played special effects most often employed to entertain today’s ADD-plagued audience. It stands to reason that when a film of true visual integrity arises, we stand and take notice. Gaspar Noé’s 2009 psychological thriller Enter the Void is truly an avant-garde slice of heaven. The magnitude of the genius employed in the visionary concept of this film makes it impossible for me to justly compare it to any previous film; however, there is an aura of Hitchcock, of classic film noir, and grindhouse realism that is inescapably palpable in this movie. To the modern cinematographer, ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you your current day Citizen Kane.

The movie itself is a loose adaptation of “The Tibetan Book of the Dead”. Oscar, a young American expatriate living in Japan, is shot and killed in a narcotics sting gone awry. Over the course of the movie we see the repercussions of Oscar’s death, as well as why he turned to crime and how hope was extracted from his tragedy. In terms of its content, this film is not for the faint of heart. Noé’s imagery includes scenes suggesting an incestuous relationship between Oscar and his kid sister Linda, rampant drug use, child separation, a clear depiction of not only an abortion procedure but also a frame of the aborted fetus, and gratuitous sexual encounters (it is said that Noé picked Paz de la Huerta for the role of Linda because she, “likes screaming, crying, and showing herself naked”). The combination of the soon to be described visuals and the jarring subject matter makes this film dangerously emotionally gripping.

It is to be expected that any drug movie will contain powerful imagery, and most drug movies elect to highlight the negative consequences of the counter-culture. Requiem for a Dream and Trainspotting are just two examples of very disturbing films, so much so that dare I say anyone would present one positive sentiment regarding heroin. Where Enter the Void succeeds is that it ventures into uncharted waters. While Oscar does partake in drugs, the character’s downfall is actually brought about by pre-existing psychological trauma. Due to a horrific car crash in which both his parents were killed (as Oscar and Linda helplessly looked on from the back seat), Oscar received a tremendous amount of mental strain. Couple that with a failed promise to never leave Linda shortly before the siblings are separated, and film chronicles the birth of an antihero. We see that due to severe psychotic anguish Oscar becomes quite apathetic and Linda turns to promiscuity to, pardon the pun, fill the void in her life. It is not drugs that negatively affect either character; rather, drugs merely act as a tool to paint a backdrop for this film, and what a vibrant backdrop it is.

The penultimate sequence in the film revolves around a camera panning above a psychedelic Tokyo, sometimes entering windows of rooms in skyscrapers, where we see various scenes of hedonistic pleasure, genitals aglow in the process. We finally enter a hotel room where we see Alex, Oscar’s best friend, making love to Linda. We enter her abdomen, where we see the process of ejaculation and the fertilization of an ovum. The film concludes with birth anew, as a child is brought into the world. This scene is fundamental in that, although the previously described imagery is quite blunt and graphic, we see that Oscar’s death allows Alex and Linda to find love, and brings the circle of life to a complete revolution. It is doubtful, however, such crass scenery can be fully examined with visuals as exhilarating and effervescent as those Noé presents. Red, green, and blue automated disco lights, as well as strobe lights, were used to crate a surreal feeling pervasive in many of the interior sequences of the film. For outdoor scenes a combination of shots taken from a helicopter flying over the city and CGI were forged to create an LSD-inspired Tokyo. The psychedelic flavor was further enhanced by neon lights and various camera tricks, such as accentuating reflections and dark areas, as well as introducing flickers mixed with motion blur, chromatic aberration, and focal distortion. The result is an acid-freaks dream, a glowing city filled with constant visual and auditory stimulation, a pulsating world hindered only by the limits of one’s imagination; in short, a cinematic masterpiece.

The only area where this motion picture stumbles is the acting department. While not critically hailed, Paz de la Huerta and Cyril Roy perform quite admirably in their roles as Linda and Alex, respectively. Nathaniel Brown (Oscar) is quite mechanical, however. This was intentional because Oscar is never shot from the front (the scenes where he is alive are shot from his point of view, thus, the only clear depiction of him displays the back of his head and his shoulders). Noé selected Brown for the role because he believed that a seasoned actor would be quite uncomfortable with this minimalization, and Brown, an aspiring director, saw the artistic merit in that approach. Unfortunately, however, Brown’s disconnection with the role becomes apparent in his depiction of Oscar, and his scenes are quite choppy. This, however, should not stop you from viewing this film. Rarely does a film arise that not only takes you on a visual journey but also engages every emotion, and this is surely a film that succeeds in that task. Enter the Void perfectly illustrates a psychedelic experience, something even those at the pinnacle of LSD use could not do, and I suggest you buy the ticket, take the ride.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5