Some movies become famous because of specific scenes (usually nudity or violence) and gain a reputation of a "must see". Most people fail to look at those movies outside the box (beyond the famous scenes), and this is the case of Noe's work.
I R R E V E R S I B L E
France, 2002
Written, directed, edited, and shot by the Argentinian-born French Gaspar Noe (talking about a one-man show). Irreversible starts from where Noe's previous work (Seul Contre Tous) left the audience, and with the same character: the butcher; only to diverge shortly after into a separate entity.
"Irreversible" is not by any mean a linear continuum to "Seul Contre Tous" but the initial (and only) sequence featuring the previous protagonist would emphasize the fact that Irreversible will deal with a similar territoire: nihilism, absurdity, existentialism.
Noe's cinematography is strikingly remarkable for computer-edited long sequences (merging into very few long scenes). The camera is so shaky initially, and continuously rotating giving the feeling of confusion and loss (adding the voice sound effect). As the movie progresses folding back in time (retrospective), things will make more sense and at the same time the camera would become less and less lost, more focused, and more light would dissipate into the picture. Noe's cinematographic technique couldn't help more the substance of his work, the movie reaches a climax after what the picture becomes intensely (and unrealistically) monochromatic, then reaches complete blurriness. The famous rape scene plays the role of the median axis for the narrative (hence, Irreversible)
Compared to his previous (Seul Contre Tous), Irreversible is a better work. Bellucci gives a remarkable performance (only surpassed by her performance in Tornatore's Malena)
Seul Contre Tous, looked more like a Godard work
Noe (from the two movies I saw) is a far better director than currently over-praised French directors like Ozon and Breillat.
Overall, IRREVERSIBLE is a very good movie. I recommend watching it. The most difficult part in it is keeping focus on the first 15 minutes or so, when the narrative doesn't make any sense, and the camera is shaking in circular motion (like the enraged and confused protagonist).
This is Bellucci in G.Tornatore's (the director of Cinema Paradiso) Malena
