Antichrist / Antichrist(n/a BC) (Bilingual) [Blu-ray]

A thought provoking movie - if one wishes to view a lot of lengthy dissertations about all the psycho symbolic aspects of this film I'd recommend zipping over to the Amazon.com listing for same, as there are over 60 reviews posted. My personal take on "Antichrist' is that it was a genuinely creepy and horrific viewing experience that not only left one with that disquieted sorta feeling after watching it, but also provided a few real shocker moments that literally had the hair standing up on the back of my neck (which is a 'good thing' for a horror movie, right?!). Leave it to the brooding 'Skandinavians' to create a view of nature that is so beautiful and menacing at the same time - director Lars von Trier has imagined, and convincingly depicted, a hellish world that is shaped by the unfortunate experiences of its' two main characters. In the plot - after the 'accidental' death of their young son - who manages to fall out a window while his parents are making love in the shower - the husband and wife deal with their grief & guilt over the loss in their own ways that spiral out of control in a setting of a summer cabin in the woods that used to be a haven of happiness for them. William Defoe is perfectly cast as the rather cold & creepy psychoanalyst husband who seems to sublimate his feelings thru his attempts to 'treat' his wife's (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg) much more palpable grief & guilt - a dynamic that evolves into some very shocking character developments. There is a fair amount of ambiguity, and what might even be considered gaping plot holes as the action plays out. Some might feel that this adds to the eerieness of the film while others may view it as 'sloppy' film-making - regardless the end result is viscerally effective. There is a distinctly dream-like (nightmare!) surrealistic quality to this movie that is one of it's strongest features. This is definitely one of those: "not for the squeamish" types of horror fliks with some very transgressive imagry - so be forwarned. Some reviewers have critiqued the film for being misogynistic but I felt it portrayed an 'equal opportunity' asexual statement about the potential dark side of human nature when pushed to extremes. As others have noted: 'love it or hate it, you likely won't soon forget it.'

Superb and superbly creepy. Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsborough are incredible actors and Lars von Trier is a genius director with amazing vision.Antichrist

You will read this film by your sex, by you experience, and by your beliefs.

Some call it a horror film. Others social commentary. Others surrealistic. And others a fraud. If you see it in your 20's it will resonate. When you see it again in your 50's it will resonate again but differently. A lot differently is my bet.

It goes off track in my opinion near the end with a mutilation that serves little point because by then we have seen the madness and we understand it. But then maybe it wasn't about the madness at all but about the progenitor to the over arching themes in this movie. I will leave it to larger thinkers and students of film to debate because even trying that one makes me reach for the Advil.

The experience is daunting. I am no fan of Willem Defoe but in this film he is utterly and completely superb.

Not for the squeamish and voyeurs; both will be disappointed regardless of what you have heard. It is for the curious who are not easily shocked, who like to twist in their seats, and who like to ruminate after the lights come on - a lot.