Antichrist

It’s been almost a month since I’ve seen Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” yet I’m still not quite sure what to make of it.

Is it the most vibrantly insulting decimation of society’s moral fiber ever created? Does Von Trier deserve to be institutionalized for even suggesting that civilized filmgoers would find entertainment in a soporific tale involving the slow-motion death of a child and female genital mutilation?

Honestly, I wouldn’t know where to begin with those questions, but I can say that the veracity with which the material is handled makes it one of the most challenging cinematic experiences you’ll find all year.

Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as a couple who retreat to a cabin in the woods following the tragic loss of their son and what unfolds is frightening, appalling and mesmerizing all at once, because the plot is always measured and never simple.

I’m fighting the urge to reveal just an iota of what the plot entails, because a film this dichotomous deserves to be seen minus any preconceptions. The austere reality present here is so stunningly alive that I can’t help but think of it as a piece of gothic performance art that won’t be appreciated until much later on down the line.

- *** ½ out of 4