Irreversible

[wkcheah]

... This is one of those movies where after watching for the first 45mins of the movie, you feel your money has gone down the drain but towards the climax of the movie, it makes it all worth while.

Regards,
-Michelle-

Surprising - u mean u enjoyed the last 1 minute of the show? where all u see is flickering white screen and all u hear is an increasing deafening sound? I had to close my eyes to avoid being hypnotized into a coma...

Concept wise, I think the way they film it is pretty innovative (in reverse), but the camera gimmicks are real head spinners. But, given that, I do enjoy a show that have a happy ending.

 

[showtime]

Hi,


For one thing about the fire extinguisher scene, although it was sickeningly graphic but it was cool because the entire scene was done in one single shot.

the long take... hmm who is the master of the long take?

 

[Wolfgang]

Surprising - u mean u enjoyed the last 1 minute of the show? where all u see is flickering white screen and all u hear is an increasing deafening sound? I had to close my eyes to avoid being hypnotized into a coma...

Concept wise, I think the way they film it is pretty innovative (in reverse), but the camera gimmicks are real head spinners. But, given that, I do enjoy a show that have a happy ending.

In reverse? Did you catch memento? It was also shot in reverse. Good movie too.

 

[darrelchia]

I caught the film on DVD a couple months back, and i still find the movie is fantastic, especially the way the movie was shot, with the sequence of events running backwards.

I guess one of the motivation i had when i rented the movie was after watching Monica Belluci's (the chio bu in Matrix Reloaded) performance in another movie, Malena.

Artsy Fartsy movies rule.

 

[wkcheah]

In reverse? Did you catch memento? It was also shot in reverse. Good movie too.

Yup... that's another good one.

 

[mich_2103]

Surprising - u mean u enjoyed the last 1 minute of the show? where all u see is flickering white screen and all u hear is an increasing deafening sound? I had to close my eyes to avoid being hypnotized into a coma...

Concept wise, I think the way they film it is pretty innovative (in reverse), but the camera gimmicks are real head spinners. But, given that, I do enjoy a show that have a happy ending.

Hi,
Yeah, I like the last 1 minute of the film because it reminds me of something that I have watched during last year's Singapore International Film Festival.

Did anyone catch the feature film 11'9'01 - September 11? It consisted of a series of short films by different directors around the world and each short film lasts for 11 minutes, 9 seconds and 2 frames to commenmorate about the tragic events that happened on that day.

One of them was really emotionally powerful, at least this is what I feel. It started at first there would be nothing on the screen, just this flickering of noises in the background. Then like in Irreversible, the black screen starts turning white gradually, along with the meaningless sounds. The remaining half of the film, they showed people jumping down the World Trade Towers. And if that's not all, they played those phonecalls of those victims who were trapped on the ill-fated flights, calling their loved ones how much they love them, knowing that something bad is going to happen to them. I cried during that short film. :cry:

Imagine being trapped in the building, unable to escape because the offices below you are burning furiously, seeing your colleagues burnt and dead and the heat is unbearable (because of the burning petrol). Imagine receiving a call from one of your love ones, they are sobbing over the other line telling you how much they love you and there is nothing you can do. And finally, the line goes dead.

Hahaha... So sorry... I guess I have talked out of the subject already but my overall idea is, Irreversible reminds me a lot of the films that I like, and it shared some of the traits here and there.

The way the credits are arranged and created in Irreversible reminds me of Jean Luc-Goddard's Weekend. That movie is a awesome classic!! (P.S -> showtime, you should catch it one of these days!!!)

This is just my two cents worth... :sweatsm:

Regards,
-Michelle-

 

[mich_2103]

the long take... hmm who is the master of the long take?

Hey,
The cinematographers are Benoît Debie and Gaspar Noé. Special Makeup Effects artist was Jean-Christophe Spadaccini.

This is just my speculation. Please correct me if you think is wrong.

The fire extinguisher scene could be done in one shot without CG effects maybe is because of the editing skills. For that scene, cinematography was extremly shaky so seriously, even if they cut the scene in different shots, the audience wouldn't have noticed anything because all the attention has been focused on the poor guy who was going to have his face bashed in.

Again, just my personal opinion about it.

Regards,
-Michelle-

 

[maddog]

Lost in translation was rubbish. No idea why Bill won a globe for that.

 

[innovas1]

those who watched Irreversible, can you tell me if Pierre killed the real Tenia? Also, the last few scenes of Alex reading the book and touching her tummy, is it supposed to be what she dreamt at the beginning or is it supposed to tell us what happened in the months to come? I think Alex didn't die but her face is smashed, so she couldn't possibly recover so fast. Moreover, the story is told in a reverse chronological sequence. But my bf thought otherwise.
Care to share yr views?

I went to the cinema without any tension, i left the cinema with a severe headache and eye pain..

 

[showtime]

it IS told in reverse...
so the scenes you see in the beginning of the show are actually the end of the story or the narrative (cinema terms)

notice that before the rape scene, there is no scene involving alex thus she either died or was in the hospital...

the scenes after the rape scene depict life before she was raped....

i think maybe you are confused about the sequence... thats why you are asking the question...

 

[showtime]

cinema is all about what we see and hear and this is provided by the cameras, film stock used etc

This is the best film i have watched in a long time. its super arty farty and many will not understand the significance of the way the cameras move, the colour casts and the sounds created.... and the the title text of irreversible and the caption "time destroys all"

remember that the beginning of the show is the end of the narrative...
Lets start with what is present in end of the narrative.



1. horrible sound. there is no meaning of these sounds and the audience struggles to comprehend and to cope with the bizzare effects and noises

as the narrative reverses, notice that the sound becomes more tollerable and toward at the end of the show, there is bliss sound of the sprinkler which was the exact repetitive sound at the beginning of the movie(end of the narrative)

remember these things as we progress.

2. red color cast. this red color cast moves on to orange, to yellow and then finally to normal colour cast with all color information present. it is difficult to restore color information but its easy to remove colour info in a pic or motion pic... hence the term irreversible... and the term " time destroys all"

3. camara movements. it starts off crazy, then slowing down to normal camera movements...


notice that everything in the show if seen in the narrative sequence degrades. colour, sound and camera movements. hence "time destroys all"

further more, what was the life changing moment in the narrative? it was the rape scene...this is the only still take in the whole film

the 9 min still frame freezes this is in time. the camera does not move an inch and we see a person entering the frame and then exiting it. it is sillouetted. indicating that his presence is non significant and he does not want to part of this still live changing frame... so he exits... and he is small in the frame only taking up a corner...think of the meaning yourself.
to summarise,
so "time destroys all"
what made sence in the beginning of the narrative (end of the movie) made no sense at the end of the narrative (beginning of the movie). i refer in particular to the sprinkler sounds...

the ideology is powerfull in this fiilm and it uses mechanical and technical means to convey certain facts about life. and the film maker does a brilliant job on it.

life has degraded, and will never the same.. hence the title irreversible. and this is described by irreparable camera footatge in terms of the color as well as the shakyness....(we can digital shake cameras but hard to still a shaky camera). we can make color to monotone but very hard to make monotone to color...(not impossible though.)


for those who have not understood the meaning of the show, i encourage to watch it again after reading this mini review of the film... my best show ever.

 

[sensires]

I'm just glad that the rape scene wasn't erotic ...