Antichrist (2009)

Director: Lars von Trier
Stars: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Runtime: 108 minutes

Synopsis: A grieving couple retreat to their cabin in the woods, hoping to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage, but nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 4/5
Costumes/Makeup: 4/5
Editing: 5/5
Cinematography: 5/5

Verdict: I have seen "Antichrist" 3 times already, and still feel that I need to rewatch it a couple of more times to fully take it in. Yes, it's disturbing, gruesome, evil, upsetting... but it's also a perfectly crafted work of art.

Directed by controversial Danish director Lars von Trier, the film is the first chapter in his trilogy of depression (followed by "Melancholia" and "Nymphomaniac"), made right after he left a mental hospital in which he received treatment for it. Starring Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a couple mourning the loss of their only child, "Antichrist" deals with very dark themes such as guilt, chaos, nature, misogyny, and the three beggars, described in the movie as being pain, grief, and despair.

Taking place almost entirely in a cabin in the woods, von Trier does a wonderful job at making the experience of watching the film as eerie and uncomfortable as possible. It's very obvious from the get-go that he knew exactly what movie he wanted to make, and the end product feels as perfect as it can possibly be.

I could talk about this movie for hours. In fact, I took 3 pages worth of notes while watching it, but I believe that it's definitely worth experiencing on your own with no prior knowledge of its narrative. Just be aware that it's a very artistic, depressing, and disturbing film, containing more than one scene that will stay with you for a long, long time after viewing it. It's the sort of movie that one will either absolutely love or absolutely hate, but one that will most definitely keep the conversation alive (much similarly to Darren Aronofsky's "mother!").     

FINAL GRADE: 8.5/10