When it comes to playing it safe, that’s just not what Gaspar Noe is about. The auteur director is a polarizing figure when it comes to his work, most famous for his dream project which debuted in 2009, Enter the Void. Movies like this don’t get enough reach globally, and it’s not hard to tell why. Noe stays in his lane with his art house type of movie making, as Hollywood is just not ready for what he’s bringing to the table. Enter the Void was acclaimed at festivals like Cannes and Sundance, only to show poorly at the box office. That, is shameful.
Enter the Void takes viewers into the nightclub scene of Tokyo. The project was shot on location and in probably one of the most unorthodox styles to ever grace the silver screen.
Enter the Void takes viewers into the nightclub scene of Tokyo. The project was shot on location and in probably one of the most unorthodox styles to ever grace the silver screen. It follows Oscar, who deals drugs in the city. When Oscar is set up by his closest friend Victor over a personal dispute, he ends up shot by Japanese police. Following what could be assumed as his death, the viewer is then taken to what’s presumed to be an out of body experience for Oscar, a point of view from above indicating him seeing things from the afterlife. Afterwards the audience sees key moments from Oscar’s early life and everything leading up to the event of his death and what follows in the aftermath. This is all to be seen in a first person viewpoint, as if to see what Oscar is seeing and to feel what he feels.
Gaspar Noe’s directing, writing, and editing gives Enter the Void everything it needs and more to be a force in indie cinema. His style is unmatched in the way this movie was cut. Much of it is unsettling, psychologically disturbing, dark, emotionally taxing, and downright uncomfortable to watch. The way it was shot is unlike anything most audiences will have seen, from the viewpoint down to psychedelic style in which it’s presented. The actors were showed up for work in all aspects, plotting a course through the complex world that Noe set up for them. The plot presentation on the part of Noe was as quintessential as any A list writer/director could have made it, looping things around in an effective and entertaining manner in which to successfully fill in any blanks. All in all, it’s plain to see how complicating a venture this was but the movie does not suffer for it.
It will be hard for even Noe himself to do one better after this, though hopefully he will. It came out over a decade ago but those who see it now might think it better suited for today, others having seen it then knowing it was ahead of its time. Not everyone will like it, not every did like it, but there’s no denying that Gaspar Noe is working outside the standards of typical movie making. Be a part of the future, rent or purchase this on Amazon Prime or Apple TV.
