Honesty, Not Realism; Gaspar Noé

Paper by Phill Hunziker.

Honesty is missing from mainstream films, especially in American films. In many cases, people need to look to indie films or films from around the world to obtain not just more challenging films, but ones that don’t latch onto clichés, shallowness, negative glorification and inaccurate portrayals of real-life situations. Big budget, studio genre films, through editing and an easy-to-comprehend plot, create a world that feels normal to the casual moviegoer but is actually a glossy construct jamming advertising, sensationalism, stereotypes, and, most importantly, unrealistic expectations of how the world really is into our heads. Instead of getting into what constitutes as realistic, how and why the mainstream succeeds at this, the millions of other ways these and other society-controlling issues are pushed upon the populations, or the exceptions to these accusations, let’s focus on how director Gaspar Noé and his films (more specifically Enter The Void and Irreversible) fight back against these problems.

It’s hard to recognize his style as realistic, but there is far more truth in his films than many others. Enter The Void is not a crash course on realism by any means, but it tackles real issues subversively with its usage of long takes, lingering camerawork, mesmerizing editing, an ambiguous openly-interpretable script, focus on universal hard-hitting issues and a lesser-known yet versatile cast that captures a more realistic representation of how people actually act, talk and think. As the architect, Noé utilizes these and creates a surreal and ever disturbing life-and-death piece that moves viewers in multiple ways on multiple levels. While this film may not be mentioned in the same sentence as neorealism, their core themes are similar. The themes are similar to how “Traditions in World Cinema” describes neorealism as “having constituted a vast, hybrid and travelling phenomenon that recreates itself through cinematic experimentation and in confrontation with individual or shared struggles as well as the universal human condition.” This film, along with his others, tackles universal issues and gives a more accurate portrayal of the way of the world, even though the film itself exists in a surreal world very different from the one we experience. It’s difficult to pinpoint which aspect of the filmmaking process plays the largest part in its effectiveness, but the case can definitely be made for its astounding cinematography. The pace of the film is set by its dragging long takes that flow so smoothly. The film’s obscure world is certainly generated by the bright, multicolored lights that are littered throughout it. Along with that, the dark (usually red or green) lighting in spots such as the backroom sex scene or as the death spot for Oscar. The usage of strobe lighting overloads the senses, further distorting and manipulating what is happening. The camera angles, specifically the high angle that make it seem like there is no ceiling and the POV shots, inject the viewer into this world in ways that allow for acceptance of what is going on. Oscar’s POV, including his blinking and thoughts, is how the world is viewed until is death, where the long aerial shots take over. The POV shots return as if it’s from the perspective of a dead Oscar watching his life flash before his eyes, setting the point that he really is dead and that time will no longer be a factor. There is a very claustrophobic feel to the film, as the camera captures the world in away that boxes you in, even when the setting is outside. While other aspects of the film are instrumental to its powerful effect, the cinematography is undoubtedly most essential. The aforementioned effect is far reaching, hitting emotional, psychological and social strings. As the amount of issues it covers is vast, keeping it simple with two of the most heavy, complicated and universal issues seems appropriate. Violence. Sex.

Violence is an aspect of our culture that has been glorified to the point where fight-fests Mortal Kombat X and Avengers: Age of Ultron (Joss Whedon, 2015) are arguably the most popular titles in their respective mediums right now. This isn’t to put down violence, as I am an avid fan of all of these. Violence is one of the most fascinating aspects of life, as there is an endless amount of angles to dissect. Whether it’s violence in nature, domestic violence, self-directed violence, war, criminal violence, seemingly random violence, violence in protest, violence in sports, the cultural depiction of violence, etc.; for those obsessed with examining the psyche and patterns of life and civilization, violence is a gold mine. Not to mention just how damn entertaining it can be. Watching or being involved with the right kind (yes, there are right kinds) of violence can be the most exhilarating time of your life. With all that being said, however, our society is too numb to violence. Ideas as grand as going to war or as minuscule as getting in a fight don’t phase us as much as they should. Violent films’ selling points are the amount of violence they contain, and boy do they sell. Gang violence is so casually discussed. On CNN, videos of unarmed men being gunned down by police officers are played on a loop as if they were highlight reel material. Street fights get millions of hits on Youtube. Why is this? Are we simply a violent race? Or could it be that the instant gratification of soaking in violence blinds us from the behind-the-scenes and post-violence repercussions? Both claims have merit, but a third aspect regarding the aforementioned dishonesty of mainstream film and media holds true as well. Gaspar Noé’s films have approached violence with a much more honest perspective. The violence presented doesn’t feel choreographed, rather a spur of the moment through rage, fear and natural instinct. Violence is portrayed as primal in his films, not necessarily senseless but ultimately fruitless. Take Oscar’s death scene for instance. There’s no big firefight filled with cool shots, witty one-liners and a daring escape. He is almost immediately shot down and dies in an ugly, closet sized bathroom, soaking in a puddle of his own blood. The camera focuses on this and refuses to allow us to look away. Then, after a few minutes of the camera drifting away, the aftermath of how his cruel death destroys his loved ones is displayed. There’s the violence in Noe’s 2002 delightful film Irreversible that takes this to a whole new shockingly honest level. A man’s face is bashed in with a fire extinguisher as the camera focuses on the thrusting action itself, acting as an active participant in the murder. A man’s arm is seemingly easily snapped as not one bystander, similar to the fire-extinguisher beating, even looks interested in intervening. There’s the haunting and eye-opening 10+ minute long-take capturing a brutal rape and subsequent beating; more on that later. These violent situations are not glorified, nor are they disturbing for the sake of being disturbing. There’s reason for the shocking nature of these scenes, not just as a counter to mainstream film but as a distorted-yet-honest mirror being forced in front of society. 

Sex is another aspect of society that is rampant and easily flaunted. Sex is profitable. Women are sexualized in movies, magazines, television, video games, etc. Sex is money. There’s beauty in our sexual nature, absolutely, but that is lost in mainstream film. Instead, sex is used as a selling point, plot-filler, shock, cheap thrills, erotic satisfaction and, in many cases, as a reward for heroes saving the day. The beauty of sex isn’t exactly being represented, but what’s even more problematic is the lack of representation for the flip side of that. The animalistic, dark side of sexual behavior is virtually absent. Sexual violence is not apparent in mainstream film, for good reason no doubt. Who wants to see a film consisting of rape or even general sexual deviancy? However, if extreme sex-less violence is so tolerable, as well as extreme amounts of sex, then how is turning a blind eye to the combination of those two tolerable, especially when rape and sexual deviancy are far too prevalent in society? Talking about rape and the other dark aspects of sexual behavior isn’t enough to make an impact. Showing it, as it is, is far more effective. Irreversible touches on the whole scale of sexuality, but its’ the rape scene that hits hardest. ‘Disturbing’ does not do it justice. Capturing it all in a long take that feels like forever, the viewer is forced to experience the darkest of situations and the reality of what rape is really like. The argument of “she was asking for it by dressing like that” is completely eradicated by this visceral scene. A feeling of helplessness is created as her hand reaches towards the camera, with no one there to help her. The dirty red walls trap her and the viewer in this tormenting hell that feel all too real. There’s no sense of humanity, nor a reason that what is being presented should not be trusted as something that actually happens. The long take sets the stage for a real situation, something unaltered. There’s an agenda behind the filmmaking process, but its not one meant to sell or sway the audience toward false perceptions. The point is to open minds about a subject that is so casually debated and unfortunately dismissed by the ignorant.

The sex scenes in Enter The Void don’t necessarily deal with sexual violence, rather the hidden sexual deviancy among people and the fact that sex isn’t always beautiful even out of love. Incest is a major theme, one that is not ridiculed but actually accurately represented as an uncomprehendingly complicated mess of confusion, uncontrollable urges and unfortunate circumstances. As the film juxtaposes the relationship and sexual tension between the siblings and those of two straight consenting adults, they are treated the same way. There’s beauty presented, along with a dark twisted discomfort that is highlighted by the aerial and point of view shots and the overwhelming lighting (usually red). The sex scene between Linda and Mario, a long take (for the most part) shot from an high angle point of view feels so claustrophobic, thanks to the seamless camera movement, suffocating colors (warm yet bleak) and uncomfortably strained body movements and sounds. From the POV shot, the scene becomes especially uncomfortable as it is the POV of her dead brother. The sex scenes at the end of the film (the last 20 minutes are like 2001 meets Eyes Wide Shut) are similar as, from an aerial view, they are slowly drifted over from room to room, creating a feel of entrapment and highlighting the intense (borderline primal) nature of passionate sex. Couple these with scenes of abortion and sexual attraction to one’s own mother, nearly all aspects of sexuality are delved into and picked apart to both prove a point and allow for open interpretation on subjects that society likes to ignore

These films are by no means fun to watch, but they are necessary. With aspects of Italian Neorealism, German Expressionism and French New Wave, these films create worlds that are essentially twisted, dark and honest versions of ours. Sex and violence are subjects that are becoming increasingly less taboo, which is a good thing, but with that our ability to have empathy and actual understanding of them is clouded by the ever-present dishonest arguments and portrayals of them. These films tackle these issues with an honesty that is masqueraded by surreal techniques. They touch on other issues as well. Death, a scary and unavoidable truth of life, is handled with both grace and disgust. Drug use isn’t shown in a positive light as Noé and his team captured what it’s like being a drug addict; the enjoyable horror, misguided self-justification and uncontrollable urges to do something so self-destructive while on drugs. Many others are touched on as well, making these films an important and an incredibly honest gauge into universal dark issues that are not accurately portrayed and discussed in today’s society. 

Work Cited

-Badley, Linda, Barton R. Palmer, and Steven J. Schneider, eds. Traditions in World Cinema. N.p.: Rutgers UP, 2006. Web. May 2015.