The film Gaspar Noé called “one of the most psychotic movies”
Argentine-born filmmaker Gaspar Noé has always been controversial, to say the least. Never one to stray away from confronting hard-hitting themes, such as incest, rape, violence, death and depravity, Noé’s films have polarised viewers for years.
The director’s transgressive body of work has often been associated with New French Extremity, which emerged during the late 1990s and early 2000s, typically focusing on explicit and taboo topics. His debut feature, 1998’s I Stand Alone, follows an isolated butcher as his life descends into chaos. The film is certainly controversial, although it was well-praised, having been championed by filmmakers such as John Waters.
However, with the release of Irréversible, Noé gained further notoriety due to the film’s contentious, shocking nature. The movie received mixed reviews, with some heralding the innovative narrative and others slamming the ten-minute rape scene and excessive use of violence.
Since the release of Irréversible, the filmmaker has made incredible works such as Climax, a psychological horror involving a severe case of spiked punch, and Vortex, a heartbreaking depiction of dementia and ageing. Elsewhere, he has released the psychedelic Enter the Void, the erotic Love, complete with a 3D ejaculation scene, and the strobing, headache-inducing Lux Æterna.
You either love Noé or hate him, yet you cannot deny that he is dedicated to his craft, and his love for cinema shines through every film. He has been an avid cinephile since he was a child, with his first movie theatre memory being a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
However, when talking to Rotten Tomatoes about his favourite movies, he picked out a film that he believes to be “one of the most psychotic” ever made. He discussed Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome by iconic experimental director Kenneth Anger. Released in 1954, Anger’s film was revolutionary for the time, both for its lucid, avant-garde imagery and its homoerotic content. The movie even led a theatre owner to be charged with obscenity for screening a copy.
Noé described the movie as “among the movies that I can replay over and over because it supports me”.
Explaining that Anger “shot [the movie] after trying LSD with Aldous Huxley in Paris,” he said, adding: “It’s the first, and one of the most psychotic movies ever, and it’s just a movie that puts you in a different state of mind. The movie itself is like a drug to the viewer, and it’s not narrative. And there’s not many movies that are trips, shamanic trips; this is an absolute shamanic trip from beginning to end.”
Watch the full movie below.
