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+--- Thread: Nymphomaniac (2013) by Lars von Trier (/showthread.php?tid=3630)
Nymphomaniac (2013) by Lars von Trier - cranefly - 01-21-2016
I’ve long been curious about this movie. Well, I finally got it from Netflix and watched it last night. Turns out it’s about a woman addicted to sex. Sure didn’t see that coming.
A scholarly older gentleman (Stellan Skarsgård) finds a woman (Joe, played by Charlotte Gainsbourg) lying unconscious on the street. She’s clearly been beaten up. Taking her into his home, he asks her what happened. Whereupon Joe begins to recount her life, starting at age two. The gentleman interrupts at times with intellectual reflections on her experiences, comparing her activities on a train to a fly fisherman reading a stream, or how her counts of certain sexual activities form a Fibonacci sequence, or how a trio of her lovers resembles polyphonic music composed of three different elements. This welding of the basely carnal to intellectual musings almost works for me. But in the back of my mind I kept wondering if they were cold welds, defective, not able to hold up under stress or scrutiny. It’s really hard to tell. Von Trier is both brilliant and fucked up. My suspicion right now is that he’s churning out a lot of psychological ideas in his quest for self-understanding, and while some of it is promising, other parts are just noise.
Then again, maybe all his welds are good. It’s hard to say. There is no consensus among critics and viewers on this movie. Some consider it pretentious, unwatchable drivel; others view it as an absolute masterpiece. All I can say is that you’re journeying deep into the psyche of Lars von Trier.
Charlotte Gainsbourg plays the mature version of Joe, who is recounting her life. She is fully clothed at all times. Stacy Martin is the younger Joe shown in all the flashbacks that make up the bulk of the movie. She’s often nude and magnificently non-voluptuous, and capable of some very emotional scenes.
All in all, worth seeing, if you like your porn with intellectual toppings.
I’ve now completed Lars von Trier’s Depression Trilogy: Antichrist, Melancholia, and Nymphomaniac.
Oh, fuck. Wait a sec. Nymphomaniac 2 just came in the mail. I've only watched part 1.
To be continued...
lol - Drunk Monk - 01-21-2016
This review is incomplete with your review of part 2.
Nymphomaniac 2 (2013) by Lars von Trier - cranefly - 01-23-2016
Nymphomaniac 2 (2013) by Lars von Trier
After watching Nymphomaniac 1, I was curious to see what Nymphomaniac 2 would be about. Turns out it’s about a woman addicted to sex. Son of a gun.
Part 2: The older gentleman continues to shelter Joe in his apartment, where he interrupts her with intellectual musings as she continues to tell her life story. She is describing a somewhat later time in her life now, and in the flashbacks Charlotte Gainsbourg now plays Joe. Yes, she gets naked, and down and dirty, as this is a much darker phase of her life, rougher, fraught with S&M and B&D. Without getting into specifics, Joe and other characters engage in perverse behaviors without any clear sense of motivation. In fact, I strongly question whether real people -- and especially women -- would behave as shown here (though sexual wiring can get very strange in some individuals, so never say never). To my mind, Lars Von Trier turned provocateur for part 2, pushing a lot of hot buttons to get a rise out of the audience and cataloging a lot of sexual perversions. In the process he touches on some very sensitive matters. Some of his observations I appreciate and applaud for showing the hypocritical side of political correctness. But other insights (from the soapbox of his characters) strike me as poorly thought out, even juvenile, if not outright hogwash.
Part 2 is not as good as Part 1 because of this emphasis on shock value, which sacrifices the integrity of the characters. All in all, von Trier seems a bit out of his depth with this subject matter.
Somewhat disappointing, but to my mind still worth a gander.
which begs the question... - Drunk Monk - 01-23-2016
Is there a part 3? Should there be?
RE: A part 3? - cranefly - 01-23-2016
No, none planned. In fact, after recovering from alcohol addiction, von Trier said he didn't think he could ever make another film.
But he's now working on an 8-part TV series, The House that Jack Built, about a serial killer. It's told from the killer's POV.
On the one hand, I'd say there's no need for a part 3. But then I start thinking, "Nymphomaniac!" And maybe there should be.
Okay, you've now convinced me. We should all petition von Trier to make another.
If he does, I wonder what it will be about.
RE: A part 3? - Dr. Ivor Yeti - 01-28-2016
(01-23-2016, 12:56 AM)cranefly Wrote: No, none planned. In fact, after recovering from alcohol addiction, von Trier said he didn't think he could ever make another film.
But he's now working on an 8-part TV series, The House that Jack Built, about a serial killer. It's told from the killer's POV.
On the one hand, I'd say there's no need for a part 3. But then I start thinking, "Nymphomaniac!" And maybe there should be.
Okay, you've now convinced me. We should all petition von Trier to make another.
If he does, I wonder what it will be about.
I was hoping for more "welding" analogies.