Coming soon to 5th Avenue Cinema

Irreversible

Told in reverse chronological order, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible is a story of violence and revenge. The film follows the events of a single horrific night in Paris. After his girlfriend Alex is beaten and raped in a highway underpass, Marcus embarks on a bloody and cruel journey to find the man responsible.

I found myself staring at my feet or tracking the perimeter of my television more often than I watched the screen. The single viewing sits in my stomach like a festering knot of uneasiness and tension. It wasn’t comfortable to watch, and a repeat viewing is highly unlikely.

After some follow-up research, I learned a few things about the movie: that film audiences and critics alike walked out during screenings; that since its 2002 release it has ignited a fury of controversy; and that it often tops “Most Disturbing Films” lists on the Internet. Having seen the film, I understand why.

Irreversible is unrelenting in its presentation of humanity’s worst actions. The camera rolls on, unwavering and uncut, as a woman is brutally beaten and raped for an unbearable 9 minutes. Viewers who have seen 2011’s Drive, by director Nicolas Winding Refn, will find the influence for the terrifying elevator murder scene in Irreversible’s graphic depiction of a man being beaten relentlessly in the face with a fire extinguisher until he is long past dead.

Irreversible is disturbingly graphic in the way it shows violence and rape. It’s not so much an exploitation as it is a condemnation of the acts in a way that is both terrible and cruel. The nonlinear storytelling method makes viewers begin the experience with the most terrible acts and then hold those within them as the rest of the movie unfolds.

Watching the film is a test of tolerance and endurance. Irreversible is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach.

Winter’s Bone

Before rising to stardom in the colossal blockbuster event that was The Hunger Games movie, Jennifer Lawrence starred in Winter’s Bone, a drama that is equal parts thriller, detective mystery and rural noir.

Lawrence is Ree Dolly, a 17-year-old who is forced to take on the role of surrogate parent to two younger siblings and a mentally ill mother while her father cooks methamphetamine between stints in the local jail. After her father puts the family home up as leverage for his bond and disappears, Ree sets out to track him down. Safety is abandoned as her search for her father leads her into a world of crime, violence and drugs that poses considerable risks to the well-being of herself and her family.

The film’s depiction of rural Ozark poverty is chilling. Circumstances are so bleak at times that it’s easy to mistake the modern film for a Depression-era period piece. The family lives in extreme poverty and the threat of starvation is constant: They’re forced to hunt and eat squirrels and rely on the goodwill of others to stay alive.

Winter’s Bone was nominated for four 2011 Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor. The film may not have won any of the awards, but it’s easy to see why it was nominated.

Where the film truly succeeds is Lawrence’s performance. Her nomination for Best Actress is justified by her portrayal of iron-clad determination in the face of grim desperation. She is equally fierce and astounding.

The core of the movie may be shrouded in the despair of the Dolly family, but the true message can be found in Ree’s courage. Life can be overbearing and cruel, but there is always some glimmer of a silver lining—however hard it may be to find.

Winter’s Bone will be screening at 5th Avenue Cinema beginning July 19.