Enter the Void (2010)

I must write something, just 'must', I'm an almost 60 year old Belgian living in Vietnam, first 8 years in Saigon, and now finally and luckily out in the countryside again. Last year, I was in Tokyo for two weeks and loved it to bits, so I understand the attraction of Tokyo for young people. Enter The Void depicts Tokyo not only from a western eye but from an Asian eye too, I cannot explain why but it does. As an artist myself I understand the desolateness one may experience in any foreign culture, in this case, Asian.I assume that most of my colleague-workers as teachers, both in Tokyo or HCMC can relate to this movie well, not only because of the setting of ourselves in such an other culture but - and here I need to be careful - most expats in Asia have mostly 'a reason' to be in Asia. My reason to be here has to do with the death of my brother. And I have found a motive and reason to continue living here because of it.Alienation is part of my life, yet 'connection' too. Let's put it like this, one may be alienated from alienation, which is bad of course and yet again connect with life in another dimension, not always understanding why but yet doing so. A relief. Art is coming to terms with an alienation based in a memory that hasn't died. This movie does that greatly, and I don't think viewers may easily understand the producer of this movie, but this movie - as art usually does and should be doing - transports the viewer to its own familial trauma's and alienations. How we cope with them is the stuff for psychiatrist and yes, you name it, artists. This movie is a work of art. THANK YOU PRODUCER.

"Enter the Void" is the cinematic equivalent of an epileptic fit. Beginning with the opening credits, Argentinian director Gaspar Noé seeks to overwhelm us with frantic flickering and humming. Then we are thrown into the first-person perspective of Oscar, a drug dealer in Tokyo. But that doesn't last for long, because poor Oscar gets betrayed by a friend and ambushed by the police. He flees to the toilet of the eponymous bar "The Void", where he gets shot. From this point on, the camera represents Oscar's soul, whirling through Tokyo and waiting for some kind of redemption or resurrection.When you watch "Enter the Void", you might be tricked into thinking it is art. But actually, it is the exact opposite: It is trash masquerading as art. Behind its flashy façade, there is not much to be said about the substance of this movie. Noé focuses on one single gimmick and does it to death until the audience is frustrated, nauseated or (in my case) bored. Don't get me wrong. Of course it can be interesting to challenge and even torment the audience of a movie. Look at Lars von Trier's work, or Nicolas Winding Refn's "Only God Forgives". Although "Only God Forgives" is deeply flawed, at least it has some kind of mystery to it, whereas "Enter the Void" is literally devoid of any meaning. Its style is one-sided and its story shockingly trivial.There are some redeeming factors. The sex scenes feel sensual and real in a way the rest of the movie doesn't. An incestuous relationship between Oscar and his sister Linda is frequently hinted at, which gives "Enter the Void" an emotional center, albeit a very blurred one. If you just want a different or extreme experience, you might enjoy Noé's visual orgy. But if you expect a finely nuanced and truly artistic movie, don't bother with this one.

An interesting, ambitious and provocative project for an experimental filmmaker, but by the midpoint, I was exhausted by it. In sections, it's very fascinating, including the opening scene (first person POV), the montage of the past flashing before his eyes and the final scene depicting a POV of the conception of a baby (graphic sexuality). But in long sections, it's absolutely grating on your patience with horrible dialogue and even worse acting. I mean, really bad.. just monotone dreck. If this kind of slow, abstract filmmaking is for you, I guarantee you that this is your kind of movie. If not, stay very clear.

Let me preface by saying I've seen thousands of movies. I've seen many of the movies often regarded as the worst. Plan 9, the room, Tarzoon, underground comedy, puppet master sequels, paranormal activity sequels, an American Hippie in Israel, highlander 2, Catwoman etc. I've seen almost every Adam Sandler film and Steven Seagal, every rob Schneider, Nick Cage, Pauly Shore, and Van Damme. Obscure gay independent films and films meant to create a state of mind like being on drugs. My point is that I have every basis for comparison when I say the following: Enter the Void is by far the worst movie I have ever seen. It has no redeeming qualities. From the Bafflingly awful direction to Weaponized dialogue used to attack the audience all the way to the twist at the end, only surprising inasmuch as you wouldn't believe someone would have the balls to make it that lame and uninteresting. The bizarre birds eye shots and shifts in camera angle give the viewer the impression that this was not really a movie. Not so much as an art project for students wanting to reproduce the effects of torture. It is not bad in a fun way, it is not campy, it is not ironic. It is just painful. Worth seeing only to calibrate your opinion of all other movies. This is bedrock with nowhere to go but up. If a perfect movie were a 10 then enter the void would define 0. Unfortunately the system won't let me rate that low.